How Did This Happen?
by CrazyWhatIfGirl
Summary: A boring day in my ordinary life turns not-so-boring when the Heartless come to Earth. I find myself in the worlds of Kingdom Hearts- only, it's not a video game. It's real. OC as main character. Little to no slash, sadly. Hope you like! RXR, please!
1. Invasion

It's amazing how some things that seem of overwhelming importance to your future can become meaningless in an instant when life comes crashing down around your ears. Scarier still is how this destroying of dreams is not always a gradual process; it can take only months, weeks, or even days. For me, it happened in one day.

Hi. I'm Elizabeth. I'm kinda new at this, so tolerate my blunders, 'k? Hm, how are you supposed to start one of these things, anyway? I guess it doesn't matter much, because I can guarantee that every single one of you reading this will think it's all made up. You'll follow my story until you lose interest, then go back to watching TV or sitting in school or driving to work or whatever the heck it is you usually spend your time on. But guess what? Everything I'm typing here is absolutely true. I'm not really sure how this is supposed to work, but I've been given this chance to warn you all, and I have to try. The Darkness is coming. Wow, does that sound bad- (don't you dare come near me with that straitjacket!) but just because it sounds stupid does not mean that you shouldn't be absolutely terrified. I guess all I can do is tell you what happened.

It was a dark and stormy night. (cue dramatic music, please) Sorry, sorry, I've just always wanted to use that line. But seriously, it was late and rainy and thundering, the works. I was in my room, listening to music with the earbuds in so as not to wake up the folks, and checking out colleges' websites.

Oops, forgot to mention that kind of stuff in my attempt to get (and hopefully keep) your attention. Like I said, I'm Elizabeth. Short- 5'3"ish last I checked, straight brown hair and boring brown eyes, glasses. Some of you may know me (or someone like me), ya know, the kid with her nose in a book and/or earbuds blasting at all times. Unfortunately, I'm 17, so people aren't as tolerant of my whole shut-the-world-out thing as they used to be. The fact that I'm 17 also explains why I'm looking at colleges- I do pretty well in school, as long as my teachers leave me alone when I know the answers, so I could go to a lot of different universities. But since I'm a waffling procrastinator and my grades don't really narrow things down, picking a college is being a major pain in the butt.

Anyways, there I was, sitting at my ancient computer in my little crowded undeniably messy room, flicking through Pandora songs like TV channels, totally and blissfully unaware of how little time we had left. Unbeknownst to me, it wasn't just thunderclouds forming over the metroplex (which is where I live, duh). The night and rainclouds neatly hid the pool of Darkness growing above my city, roiling and swirling with its promise of imminent catastrophe. Soon, tendrils began swooping down, plopping against the ground with an oily smack, curling where they landed to form…**Heartless**.

If you don't know what those are, stick with me. For those of you who do, congrats and feel free to skip a bit. Heartless are creatures of the Darkness. They take many forms and have many different abilities, but underneath they're the same- twisted beasts, motivated only by their relentless search for hearts, a mindless quest to turn ordinary citizens into _them_. If your heart is taken by a Heartless, you will become one too- and hunger for others' hearts in turn. It is impossible for normal people to kill Heartless, and very difficult to even ward them off. When a Heartless is slain by a wielder of the Keyblade, it releases the heart it holds captive- but the heart cannot return. Of course, I knew none of this at the time- I figured it out later on. How, you ask? Well, just keep reading and see.

The Heartless looked around greedily, fastening their amber eyes on the few pedestrians at this time of night. Several loped over, and before the walkers could get over their shock, their hearts were swallowed- and their bodies began to fade. As you can imagine, this caused quite a commotion. However, what with my music and attempted focus, I failed to notice anything until first car horns and then sirens began blaring (I know, I know, I'm oblivious). Throwing open my window, my jaw dropped as I saw chaos in the streets.

What… what were those things? I rubbed my eyes and pinched my arm, hoping I was having a really wacky dream. _No more late sugary snacks for you!_ But no, I was awake, and this was really happening. Oh God, this was really happening! I jumped out of my window (relax, I'm on the first floor, but thank you for your concern) and landed in the grass of our front lawn. Across the street, I watched as Heartless materialized inside of houses, in yards, on mailboxes. One even splashed down in a swimming pool. Any other time, I would have laughed, but not now.

I watched as people were dragged from their beds. I watched as Heartless plunged their suddenly insubstantial arms into chests and removed hearts. I watched as men, women, and children, people I knew, struggled futilely and then collapsed into nothingness. I watched, and hated myself for watching. A few seconds stretched and became an eternity, as I struggled to understand what these beings were and why they were doing this. Then I realized that Heartless could even now be appearing inside my home, attacking my parents or my little sister. I turned to run back inside, to do- what? What could I do? There had to be something! But as I turned, I came to realize a pool of Darkness had formed beneath me, capturing my feet in its murky depths. My horror knew no bounds in that moment. Then it grew worse, as the Darkness thrust quaking tentacles up my legs, around my waist, over my face, smothering me in vileness. I fought, but lost. I closed my eyes, not understanding how death had come at such an unexpected time and in such an unexpected way. I fell….


	2. Where the Heck Am I?

…and woke to the lovely smell of rotting garbage. I opened my eyes to see a brick wall of an unfamiliar alley. Hmm, that was weird. Maybe… maybe what happened was that the candy my friend gave me earlier was laced with hallucinatory drugs, which had made me dream up all those ridiculous things I saw, and I'd wandered until the drugs wore off and fell asleep in this alleyway. I didn't like that explanation- I don't do, believe in, or go anywhere near drugs- but it was better than the craziness I thought I remembered. _Ok, so…so what I need to do is figure out where I am. Then I can call for a ride and get home, though Mom and Dad are gonna __kill__ me when they find out I've been out this late,_ I thought. Decided on this course of action, I was not pleased when someone suddenly leaned over my slumped position on the ground and held out a hand. I was even less pleased when I saw who it was: some guy only a little older than me but much taller with way long white hair, wearing baggy jeans and a vest over a black muscle shirt with a double-ended zipper.

"Need a hand?" he offered brusquely. I stood up, brushed myself off, and was about to give a haughty retort when he moved into the sunlight (_Sunlight? Crap, how late was it?_) and my jaw dropped open for the second time that night.

He smirked, brushing his long bangs out of his eyes- now I could tell that his hair wasn't white, but silver (?)-which revealed his eyes to be a lovely shade of blue-green. They seemed… almost familiar, somehow? I gawked for a moment. Then he cleared his throat, reminding me that I was staring at some random guy I'd met in a dirty alley of all places and he knew it. I blushed bright red.

"I'm Riku. And who are you, exactly? I don't think I've seen you before." He offered me his hand again, this time to shake.

"Oh! I'm Elizabeth, and- wait a minute! **What** did you say your name was?"

"Riku," he repeated, looking at me with a hint of suspicion in his eyes.

"Ohmigod! Ohmigod ohmigod! I knew you looked familiar, I knew it, but this is crazy! You can't be…" I trailed off, then shot questions rapid-fire at him, "Who told you to do this? Are you messing with me? Who are you really?"

He looked at me like I was insane, which honestly, I can't blame him for. I was starting to wonder myself. Then his jaw tightened, and he shot back, "Do what? Why would I be messing with you? What do you think is going on?"

"I'm warning you, this isn't funny! If one of my friends paid you off to get back at me, the job's over. That's it, get your cash, go home. And ditch the Riku costume- I got over that like a year ago."

"What the heck are you talking about? Got over what? I'm Riku! And I don't know why I should have to defend myself to random girls sleeping in alleys!" He turned to leave, but I recklessly grabbed his arm.

"If you're really Riku, then where are we?"

He looked at me with exasperation and something else. I tried to read his face, but it was gone in an instant. "Traverse Town. Where did you think we were? In fact, Sora and Kairi are probably waiting on me right now wondering what the heck I'm doing, so start making sense or I'm leaving."

"Oh man… oh man oh man oh man! I can't believe this! I mean, yeah, Kingdom Hearts is like my favorite video game, but this!..." I let go of his arm as I moaned half-hysterically, only for him to grab mine. His eyes widened, then narrowed.

"Kingdom Hearts? What do you know about Kingdom Hearts?" Mistrust formed in the backs of his eyes, and he tightened his grip. "I don't know who you are, but if you're here to rebuild Xemnas' work or harm us, you will regret it," he hissed.

I gasped, both at the pain in my arm and his harsh words. "W-what? No! I'm not here to hurt anyone, I swear! And I have no idea who you're talking about! In fact, I still don't think I know where we are!" But my frightened pleas did nothing to dissuade him or loosen his hold. In fact, he started to pull me out of the alleyway.

"Where are we going?"

"To see the others. They'll want to know about this," he uttered grimly, eyeing me with suspicion and perhaps even loathing. Shocked by the strength of his emotions, I said nothing more and let him lead me where he would.

Yeah, I know, it was weak of me, but what did you want me to do, huh? At this point, I was still only half-convinced that this guy calling himself Riku wasn't a crazy axe murderer or a gang member taking me to his buddies for turf violation, in which case it would probably be best to cooperate and then get the heck out of there. As he led me through the square, though, I had to admit that A) I'd never been here before, which made the whole passed-out-in-an-alley-after-walking-on-foot thing a little unlikely, and B) everything I was seeing seemed to match up with what I remembered of Traverse Town from my obsession with the video game series Kingdom Hearts two years ago.

Ok, so a little back story. From the clothes and the hints of Sora and Kairi waiting for him, I guessed that I had somehow wound up in the worlds of the Keyblade sometime after the events of Kingdom Hearts II. That, or… what else could it be? Someone pulled the biggest joke ever, I had gotten sick and was delirious, or I was really locked in a rubber room having delusions. Assuming I wasn't crazy or delirious and that no one who knew me had enough time on their hands to pull this off, this meant that -I racked my brains to remember what had happened- Sora had defeated Organization XIII with Riku's help and locked the worlds. Kingdom Hearts, the collection of hearts that Heartless released when killed, had been destroyed along with its creator, Xemnas (_Oh! I get why he's upset now!_) and Sora, Kairi, and Riku had been reunited and gone home together. Something had happened at the end, though- something to interrupt their peaceful homecoming. Gah! I couldn't remember what, though. Something to do with a bottle…

My thoughts were interrupted as Riku pulled me up a flight of stairs and into a small shop, not even letting go of my arm to open the door. I decided I'd wait to make judgment calls if I was in a world from my favorite video game or not (it's sad when you're reduced to saying something like that) until I met 'the others' and heard what they had to say.


	3. Meet the Gang

I stumbled hesitantly inside, afraid of what I might see. I released a sigh of relief as I looked around. Nothing out of the ordinary- small table, shelves full of merchandise, posters on the wall, and a scale. Then I glanced towards the counter, hoping this was a massive prank and the clerk would confirm it. Instead, I saw three bigger-than-normal ducks- are they wearing clothes?- waddling behind the register. _Ok, so the owner has giant pet ducks and likes to dress them up_, I thought desperately, trying to explain this away. _Some people do that to their dogs, right? So why not ducks?_ Then one opened his -mouth? beak? bill?- and spoke.

"Hi, I'm Louie, and these are my brothers Huey and Dewey. We own this shop. Is there anything we can do for you today?"

"Ahhh!" Unable to help myself, I let out a small shriek. _That's it; I'm definitely crazy, like shut-me-in-a-rubber-room crazy. I've gone 'round the bend._ _But.._ I resisted the thought, but you know how those pesky things are- the bad ones just won't leave you alone sometimes. _Hadn't there been three ducks, Donald's nephews, that ran a store in Traverse Town? Sora used to buy supplies from there… Even if I'm crazy, how could I have thought this up?_

Riku didn't look amused by my reaction. "Be quiet." Then, answering the talking duck's (!) question, "No, I just need to talk to the others. Where are they?"

Louie nodded, jerking his head to indicate the stairs that led to what I assumed was the second floor of the shop. "They went upstairs. Muttered something about urgency and you wasting time doing who knows what." Riku's eyes flashed, but he simply nodded, towing me toward the stairs as the bell over the door dinged, indicating another customer.

Tripping my way up the stairs (I'm naturally clumsy, and that's when I'm not having to keep up with someone whose stride is 3 times faster than mine), I arrived at the top, anxious to see who the mysterious others might be. We entered the room, Riku's pace indicating impatience and annoyance. I felt like a tiny boat dragged in the angry wake of an ocean cruiser. I took a moment to inspect the room- a black couch sat next to a low coffee table. Flames crackled merrily in the giant fireplace that dominated the space. Two people turned as we appeared- a boy with spiky brown hair and a cheerful face only 2 or 3 inches taller than me, and a slim redheaded girl with big expressive eyes- at that moment showing surprise- almost the same height as the boy (probably the same height if you didn't count the hair spikes). I sagged. Their faces were almost as familiar as Riku's- Sora and Kairi. _This makes no sense. It's impossible. I won't believe it!_ Outside the shop in the bright sunlight, I had felt free to speculate, for it had seemed like an adventure in my pretty boring life. But in here, with dim lighting, I felt caged by what I saw before me. I began to realize that this wasn't a game, and if it was true (_It's not! It can't be!_) then something must have happened for me to be here. What could it be? I had a vague recollection of something I'd thought in the alley, but nothing really. _What had happened to me? What about everyone else? My family, my friends?_ Sunk in a haze of fear and misery, I almost missed what was said.

"Riku, what are you doing? Who is this?" said the boy who looked like Sora.

"I don't really know who she is. She said her name was-"(he wrinkled his nose trying to remember) "Elizabeth, but that could be a lie. She knows something about Kingdom Hearts." Finally releasing my arm, he moved to stand facing me from between Sora and Kairi. Feeling three sets of eyes on me, I stared at the floor. I felt like an animal on exhibit at the zoo. But I wasn't in a cage, and I needed these people to help me figure out what was going on. I raised my chin and gazed back at them. Sora stared with a mix of shock and curiosity, Kairi's expression was guarded but hinted at fear, and Riku's eyes were filled with suspicion and dislike.

Sora spoke up after an uncomfortable thirty seconds that felt much longer. "Well, who are you? Where did you come from? You're obviously not from here, dressed like that."

I glanced down involuntarily, then felt my cheeks heat up. I was wearing my cami, which was old and comfortable and not exactly what you'd call concealing, and sweatpants with pockets that I usually wore to bed. Resisting the urge to cover myself with anything at hand, I checked my pockets surreptitiously to see what had made the journey with me. I found my iPod and earbuds in one pocket, then a hair tie, peanut butter crackers, my wallet, and the flash drive I carried at school in the other. (I'm not exactly tidy, and random things end up in my pockets often.)

Riku glared. "Answer the question. And tell us what you know about Kingdom Hearts."

"My name really is Elizabeth," I snapped. "And I'm from _ _ _., _ Texas, the United States of America, on the world Earth." (Sorry people, but I really don't think you need- and I would hope you don't want- my address.) A silence followed this recitation. _No doubt they had no idea why it was such a long answer, coming from simply the Destiny Islands_, I thought bitterly.

"As for Kingdom Hearts, umm…" I hesitated, not sure what to tell them. If I told them it was the name of a popular video game with them as the main characters on my world, well… I didn't know how they would react, and I didn't want to find out. Riku, however, leaped on the pause.

"I thought so! No good answer for that, huh? I think you're lying to us. Are you a spy? Sent by Maleficent or the Darkness?"He spat out the name with venomous hatred.

"Riku, calm down. Give her a chance. Maybe you're just scaring her," Kairi offered, eyeing me with cautious trust.

I sent a small smile her way with my silent thanks. She smiled back. "She's just another scared off-worlder finding herself alone here unexpectedly, right?"

I nodded. Riku was not convinced. "It's not that easy, Kairi. When I met her, she said something about Kingdom Hearts being her favorite video game. Explain that to us!"

I felt angry. Just because he was paranoid and I'd mentioned something that was apparently secret, gave him no right to treat me like this. "On my world, Kingdom Hearts is the name of a video game. That's how I knew it." Sighing at the blank stares I was receiving, I continued to explain, "Video games are like… um, you guys have TV right?" I received nods from Sora and Kairi. "Video games are played by people on TVs for fun. They let you do stuff like racing and fighting on a screen, instead of in person."

"So what happens in this video game?" Riku challenged, watching my face closely.

I sighed. This was gonna go over like a ton of bricks. "Well, um, in Kingdom Hearts… you all are in it, " I confessed. Gasps could be heard, and I earned myself a death glare (three guesses who sent it and the last two don't count). "You three are actually the main characters. The person playing the video game plays as Sora, from when the Darkness swallowed Destiny Islands to locking the worlds with Donald and Goofy to searching for Riku and Kairi." I proceeded to explain the main events in each game, watching Riku's muscles tense as I revealed information he had clearly thought private. I concluded with, "The last bit I know was your and Riku's return to Destiny Islands, where you were reunited with Kairi, the King, and Donald and Goofy."

Everyone's eyes were wide. I saw amazement and tentative belief in Sora's eyes, followed by wonder in Kairi's. I risked a glance at Riku- I knew he would be the hardest to convince. His eyes were filled with disbelief tinged with fury. As he opened his mouth, doubtless to interrogate me further, Sora jumped in. "E-Elizabeth? Is that how you say it?" I nodded. "What exactly happened to you? How did you get here?"

"I don't know," I said quietly. "I can't remember."

"Try," he urged. Kairi nodded. I sensed that this would be important in deciding what to do with me, and besides, I really wanted to know too. I closed my eyes and concentrated.


	4. I Remember

"I… I remember school yesterday. It was a normal day, nothing exciting. Then I came home and did homework, finished my book, ate supper with my family." I strained, striving to pierce the fog that clouded my brain. "I was in my room, listening to music and on my computer… trying to make sure I didn't get caught awake." So that's why I was in my pajamas. "Then… something happened." But what? I opened my eyes briefly. Everyone was listening, even Riku, temporarily forgetting his anger to hear my story. I refocused before he caught me staring. "It was raining, I remember that. I could hear thunder above my music." I squeezed my eyes shut even tighter in an attempt to jog my memory. "There were sirens, and then…"

Suddenly, I broke through the wall barricading me from my memories of last night, and I gasped. Images of black shadowy creatures, one moment flat against the ground like shadows and the next three-dimensional, and their invasion of my neighborhood flashed through my mind. I heard the screaming and saw the Heartless kill my neighbors. I remembered turning to see if I could protect my sister and parents. I remembered being pulled through a pool of Darkness as everyone around me died and my home was swallowed. I sank to the ground and began to cry.

Sora, Kairi, and even Riku were at my side in a flash. Kairi helped me sit up and Sora grabbed a cloth from the table to dry my tears. But I could not stop; they just kept coming, flowing down my face in rapid waterfalls accompanied by great gasping sobs. It was Riku, bent over me as he had been when I woke in the alleyway, who asked, "What happened?" His voice was rough and his question abrupt, but I thought I saw curiosity and- was that sympathy?- in his eyes. I couldn't be sure though, because teary vision isn't exactly the clearest- and a moment later all expression was gone from his face.

I fought to control myself, with no success. Between sobs, I managed to choke out, "My home…we were attacked…those, those things everywhere…swallowed up…my fa-family!" I realized that those evil creatures must have been Heartless, and I knew the people I'd seen turned would never come back. My weeping grew desperate and painful as I curled myself into a ball, wishing my flood of tears would wash me away.

There was a hesitant touch on my arm. I opened my eyes to see Kairi attempting to soothe me. "Hey, it's gonna be ok. It'll be ok. All right?"

No, not all right. Everyone I knew and cared about- my family, my friends, my neighbors, classmates, teachers, annoying people at the grocery store…they were all gone. Most had probably been lost to the Darkness and turned into Heartless, others killed in the panic… Was there any chance of survival for those I'd left behind?

Then Sora's voice penetrated my hysteria, offering a slim ray of hope that I desperately grabbed at, anything to keep me from sinking into the abyss I felt opening in my chest. "You know, it's possible that you weren't the only one who came through to our world. Probably lots of people made their way to a different world. In fact, I'd bet on it! Maybe not this world, but we can visit the other worlds to find out. Don't give up, okay? We'll help you." Riku uttered a quiet groan at this rash offer.

I sniffled, looking up at the earnest face above me. It swam in and out of focus, but I could see his friendly smile. "You promise?"

He nodded. "Promise!" He offered me such a big grin, I had to smile back. It was tiny and watery, but seemed to satisfy him.

"What?" Riku hissed. "Sora, can I talk to you for a minute?" Not waiting for an answer, he stalked over to the corner farthest from me, Sora following. I could hear a furious conversation being conducted at low volume. "..don't know who she is or where she came from…have you ever heard of Earth?…untrustworthy… promised to help her just like that! What about our mission?" Riku fought to keep his voice down, but I could catch snippets here and there as his temper rose.

Sora didn't bother keeping his voice down. "Riku, I think you're getting paranoid. And she needs our help! Where would I be if Leon and Yuffie, then Donald and Goofy hadn't helped me, huh? What do you want to do- throw her out on the streets? Besides, we have to go world-to-world anyway. She can come along."

"Are you crazy? What we're doing is important, and it should be need-to-know, not us telling it to whoever wanders by! What if she's not who she seems? What if-"

Sora interrupted his rant. "Do you trust me?"

There was no hesitation as Riku replied, "Of course."

"Then she comes. I trust her," Sora said firmly.

"But…" Riku huffed in frustration, then gave in.

He trusted me? We'd met maybe twenty minutes ago, and I'd spent five or ten of them wailing on the floor. I turned to glance at Kairi. She felt my gaze and turned from her own eavesdropping. Noticing my confused expression, she smiled and said a little wryly, "That's how he is. Sora has such an open heart; it's hard for him to see bad in anybody. Not that I think you're bad, of course," she hastily reassured me. _So.. I see Sora isn't the only one who sees the best in people_, I mused. Looks like I had two votes of confidence. What was I going to do about the third? I really did need their help, shamed as I was to sound so dependent. I knew they were experienced world-travelers, and I was nothing of the kind. Back home, I'd barely been out of the state. Back home… I winced as a stab of guilt hit me in the heart. But I straightened, telling myself I'd figured out what to do and I was going to do it, no matter what. _If there is even the slightest chance that my family's out there, I'll never stop looking_, I vowed, _Riku or no Riku_.


	5. Ok, Ok, I Admit It

At the moment, there was definitely Riku- and he was not happy. Stalking over, he offered a hand to help me up (again-this time I took it), dropped it as soon as I was standing, checked to see that Sora and Kairi were occupied elsewhere, and then leaned in. "You may have Sora's and Kairi's trust, but you do NOT have mine. I'll be watching you, and if you show any signs of hurting my friends, you'll regret it." The steely resolve in his eyes both amazed and frightened me.

But I didn't have any reason to fear; all I wanted to do was find my family and go home. _Please, please let that still be possible_, I prayed. I pulled myself up to my full height (which, admittedly, still made me about 8 inches shorter than him) and said icily, "Understood." His eyes widened a fraction, and I could tell he wasn't sure whether to be angry or amused at my sass. Instead, he turned and walked over to join Sora and Kairi's conversation.

I sagged slightly. I was feeling such a jumble of powerful emotions that I was sure it would take hours to sort out completely. I gave it a try anyway. Anxiety, shame, annoyance, fear, guilt, anger, worry, nervousness, anticipation, and a strange tingling. Tingling? Trying to figure out what it could be, I stared at the other three in the midst of an intent discussion: Kairi tilting her head in question but seeming accepting of whatever they decided to do, Sora's hair flopping and mouth firm but eyes twinkling as he emphasized a point, and Riku shaking his head, the motion causing his hair to shift over his shoulders. Riku… Then my eyes widened. It couldn't be! _I'd gotten over that a year ago! Moved on! _My eyes traced the shape of the muscles in his lithe arms, and the tingling doubled in intensity. Great. Just great.

The other thing you should probably know about my history with Kingdom Hearts is that- God this is embarrassing- when I first played Kingdom Hearts, I fell for Riku- and I fell hard. (What's that you say? You guessed that already? Ah, shut up.) I watched all the cutscenes with him twice over, I drew pictures of him and us for weeks, I wrote stories about us together, and I saved pictures of him onto my computer obsessively. Eventually, my best friend found out, and she thought it was so cute that she just had to share it with our other friends- and my parents. After large amounts of teasing and concern, I regretfully moved on. After all, it wasn't like he was a real person, wasn't like I would ever get the chance to meet him. Except now, he was and I was. Unfortunately, he appeared to hate my guts. It was so unfair!

_This is so your luck_, I thought glumly._ You lose everything and everyone you've ever known, get sucked into the world of your favorite video game (!), and the first guy you meet is the guy that you crushed on for months- and who is now not virtual but real. And guess what? He can't stand you. Perfect. _

I was pulled out of my mope-fest by the annoying little voice inside me, who always has something to say- and says it whether I like it or not. (You're confused? Confused about what? You mean you don't have one of those? Huh. You're weird.) It proceeded to give me a pep talk. _So what? It's just a crush. Ignore him and you'll get over it. You've done it before at home lots of times successfully. Yeah, you liked him and now you get to meet him but he hates you and he's a jerk. It's not like it would ever work out, and besides, you've got much more important things to do than moon over some random guy._ As much as I hated to admit it, the voice that sounded like an older, wiser version of me (also known of the voice of reason) was right. I squared my shoulders, determined to ignore Riku except for gaining his trust. Once I had that, I could go with them with no problems and I'd have a much better chance of saving my family, my city, and maybe even the world. But if I wanted his trust, I had to prove I was trustworthy. With that in mind, I walked over to join their talk and was rewarded by its abrupt end.

"Um, sorry. Am I interrupting something?" I asked. Kairi was uncomfortably silent while Sora and Riku shot looks at each other. I wasn't an expert at reading them, but I guessed it went something like this. Sora: _Can I tell her?_ Riku: _Don't you dare!_ Sora: _If she's going to come with us, she should know._ Riku: _I wasn't the one who said she could come! Let her think what she wants._ Sora gave an unhappy nod. Kairi also didn't seem super excited with Riku's decision. I thinned my lips, angry to be excluded, but took some comfort in the fact that Sora and Kairi weren't happy about me being left out either.

An awkward silence followed, with Riku- who had started it after all- showing no inclination to break it. Sora cast about for something to say, and his eyes lit upon my hair. He blurted out, "Hey, your hair is even longer than Riku's!" I looked down. Though it was desperately in need of a brush, there was no denying that it was at least 4 or 5 inches longer than Riku's. I felt oddly pleased. After all, I have standards. There's no way I'd date a guy whose hair is longer than mine.

Then I realized what I'd just thought, and mentally face-palmed. The voice mocked, _Ignoring him, huh? How's that working out for you?_

_Shut up_, I retorted. _I'll do it. I just have to get used to it._ I glanced up, and found myself receiving such weird looks from Sora and Kairi (Riku had moved away and leaned up against the wall- and why did I care?) that I was glad they weren't mind readers. If they knew I'd just been arguing with myself, they'd probably ship me to whatever counted as the loony bin out here.

Riku crossed his arms in annoyance. "Let's go," he said abruptly, pushing off the wall (I sternly told myself that I did not, in fact, find his rippling muscles interesting) and started down the stairs, followed by Sora, Kairi, and me.

Crossing though the main part of the shop, deflecting the ducks' offers of assistance with irritated grunts, Riku pushed the door open and we stepped outside. I blinked and raised a hand to shield my eyes, for the strong sunlight took a moment for my eyes to adjust to. Riku shot me a look of contempt (seriously, what did I do to make him so mad?) and asked a question, his body language making it clear it was not addressed to me. "Where do you want to go?"

"Well," started Sora, "I think we got everything we needed from them. Should we go talk to the Dalmatians?"

Kairi started to voice her opinion- but it went unheard as the area in front of Huey, Louie, and Dewey's shop suddenly filled with Heartless. These, however, were much bigger than the shadowy ones I'd seen the night before. I could hear Sora shout, "Heartless here! But how?"

Surprisingly, it was Kairi who screamed back, "Does it matter? Just fight!" Just like that, we were surrounded- and the attacks began.


	6. Someones Stupid Enough to Buy Me a Sword

Someone's Stupid Enough to Buy Me a Sword *evil giggle*

* * *

Heartless! These might not be the same ones who had destroyed my home, but I didn't care. They had ruined my life and the lives of so many others. They had killed the people I loved, and they had to pay! My mind aflame, no weapons in my hands, I threw myself upon the closest. Its amber eyes and skipping motions filled me with rage. My training took over, and I launched a flying side kick towards its midsection and a horizontal hand chop to its throat for good measure. A look of surprise crossed its face, and it fell to the ground. I stepped on its head contemptuously, and felt a surge of victory. Who knew three years of tae kwon do lessons would actually pay off?* I sent silent thanks to my mom, who had insisted on me learning how to protect myself. The thought of her made me stumble, and I stifled a sob. _Now is not the time_, I thought furiously. _Get it together!_ Then another Heartless sashayed up to me, its spooky graceful movements reminding me of a puppet dancing on its strings. It seemed to snicker at my pain. Bad call. With an enraged cry of "Ki-yaaa!" I threw myself at it.

The moments that followed became a blur of round kicks, eye stabs, forward and backward lunges, and punches of every kind. I couldn't kill any of them bare-handed, no matter how much I wanted to, but my attacks stunned them and made them easy prey for one of my group-mates to finish off with their Keyblade. All three were using one- Sora, of course, had the Keyblade of Light, Riku the Keyblade of Darkness, and Kairi fought with the one Riku had given her at Organization XIII's stronghold that she was able to use because she was a princess of heart.

Soon we had finished off the group outside the ducks' shop, but I think we all sensed it was only a lull.

I landed on the balls of my feet after what seemed like the hundredth spinning kick I'd used and dusted off my hands, satisfied. I turned to face everyone and almost laughed out loud. Sora's jaw was hanging impossibly wide, Kairi looked surprised but delighted, and, well, Riku had raised an eyebrow and wasn't snarling- so I figured that was the best I could hope for.

"Where did you learn to do that? ?" Sora asked, finally closing his mouth.

"I'm a first-degree black belt in tae kwon do*," I explained. I could tell they didn't know what that was. "It's a martial art, one of the hand-to-hand fighting styles we use on my planet."

"That was awesome!" Kairi bubbled. She turned to the guys with a glare, "See? Girls can take care of themselves! So quit worrying about me!" I decided I liked her.

Riku shook his head lazily. "I don't know; I think you would've been in trouble without us," he smirked at me.

I bristled and clenched my fists, but before I could say- or do- anything, Sora said thoughtfully, "It kinda reminds me of Tifa." He eyed me with a grin. "I think we should get you a weapon."

My face lit; that sounded pretty awesome. I knew it wouldn't be a Keyblade, but still, a sword or staff would be sweet. I suspected it would have to be a sword, since I couldn't do magic- at least not to my knowledge. Riku, however, was not a fan of this idea. I should've known. "Why would we arm her? Giving- no, buying- a weapon for someone we don't know seems like a bad idea to me! What if she is a spy, or she turns on us? She could kill us in our sleep!"

Kairi rolled her eyes. "If she wanted to hurt us, all she'd have to do was use some of that tie quan doh or whatever it is. Besides, I don't think she wants to hurt us-" I shook my head emphatically, not trusting myself to say anything because I was afraid it would involve cussing at Riku, and she smiled. "So getting her a weapon is the least we can do. If we don't, someone will have to protect her during our fights- and I don't think you want to do it," she challenged Riku.

Riku glowered, but conceded the point.

So that was how we ended up at a Moogle trading post, and my last hope of delusions or dreaming died. The thing in front of us was undeniably a Moogle from the game, and even my imagination's not that good. (If you don't know what that is, Google it- they're pretty crazy-looking.)

Sora understood Moogle-speak, so when he made it clear that I could choose from the four swords they had on display, I was excited. Then my face fell, as I realized I had no munny. "Um, I don't have any munny- at least not from here," I confessed.

"That's all right. We'll get it for you." I hesitated, reluctant to accept his generous offer, but he said, "Remember, we need you to have it if you want to come with us. We have to be sure that everyone can handle themselves, or it'll slow us down."

His words found the crack in my pride, and I consented. "Okay. I **will** pay you back, though." He insisted it wasn't necessary, but I'm widely known for my stubbornness. He finally agreed.

I stepped closer to the swords. What did I know about picking a weapon? They all seemed like they'd do the job. One was short and wide with a fearsomely large tip, while the next looked more like a fencing sword- long and thin with a deadly-looking point. The other two fell somewhere in between. How was I supposed to choose?

Riku came to stand next to me. "You want a longer sword that'll make up for your short arms, and it probably shouldn't be too heavy." He took the fencing sword down and held it out to me. I picked it up, but felt foolish, like I was holding a really long needle. He shook his head impatiently and put it back, then offered me the last one- not quite as long or as thin, it nevertheless looked like I'd be able to reach Heartless from four or five feet away. I picked it up and hefted it in my hand. The weight seemed right, and I swished it around, then lunged like I'd seen in the movies. Thankfully, I didn't fall on my face, and the blade felt right to me. Riku watched, then nodded. "It's respectable enough, and I think it's your best bet."

Sora took it and went to pay the Moogle, Kairi accompanying him. I looked up at Riku in confusion. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

His eyes darkened, and a mask of indifference slid over his face like a curtain falling. "Nice? Look, if we're going to pay for it, I want to make sure it's the best that you can do- which probably isn't very good."

My fists clenched and I felt angry tears rising, but I squashed them down. My tear ducts are wired to my temper, so not only do I cry when I'm sad or upset, I also cry when I get mad. It's so annoying. "Why are you so mean? What did I do to you, huh?"

He shrugged and looked away, like I wasn't even worth an answer. I was contemplating stomping on his foot or punching him in the face (yeah, so I have violent tendencies, so sue me) when Kairi and Sora returned, seeing the murderous expression on my face and hastily stepping between me and Riku.

"Hey, hey. Let's calm down," said Sora, eyeing me and his best friend in turn. Riku looked bored, like he was above it all. I realized that I needed to make this work if I wanted any chance to find out what had happened and why and who was left. That meant I needed to keep my temper under control, so I gritted my teeth, distanced myself, and smiled.

"Sorry about that," I said apologetically. Kairi's shoulders slumped in relief, and Sora gave me an easy grin.

"Don't worry about it," he offered, and slung an arm around my shoulders. "I know he can get on people's nerves sometimes, but he's really a great guy." I glanced at the guy in question, who no longer looked disinterested. Instead, he was glaring at me with pure, unfiltered hatred. I quailed a little, but rallied myself. He was a jackdonkey- so what? Apparently, Kairi and Sora were perfectly willing for me to go with them on their mysterious mission. _I'd just avoid him as much as possible,_ I told myself, ignoring the twinge of pain from my chest.

* * *

*AN: I have actually had two and a half years of tae kwon do lessons, and I'm a third-degree brown belt. I just wanted to stretch it a little bit- most people don't know what level a brown belt is.

Hey, if you've stuck with me this far or just started reading, please leave a review! This is my first fanfic, and my first time sharing it. So let me know what you think- like it, love it, hate it, have advice, I don't care. Just let me know why please! Thanks guys :)


	7. Personal Questions from Total Strangers

Personal Questions from Total Strangers

* * *

"So, Sora, why were you so freaked out when the Heartless showed up before?" I asked him curiously. He dropped his arm so he could walk and face me as he talked.

"Well, we haven't seen any since Maleficent helped us on The World That Never Was.* We thought maybe they were gone."

"How long ago was that?"

He shrugged. "About six months."

"Really?"

He looked at me, a little surprised. "Yeah, why?"

"Well, I thought that-" And then I remembered what I hadn't before- the bottle I remembered hadn't really been what disrupted peace on the island, it was the message inside the bottle. Hadn't it been from King Mickey? "Didn't you guys get a message from the King?"

From the way Riku's nostrils turned white, I guessed this was important- and, since I'm not stupid, I connected the dots. "That note is why you're here, isn't it? Did the King ask for your help with something?"

Riku reached a large tanned hand out and placed it firmly over Sora's mouth before he could respond. "I don't see how that's any of your business."

My jaw clenched, but I forced myself to sound natural. "Fine. I won't ask what was in it, then. But how long ago did you get it?"

Riku considered my question and apparently decided that it was safe for Sora to answer, for he withdrew his hand. Sora wiped his mouth and gave Riku a filthy look (on most people, it would be a look of mild irritation, but on Sora it was definitely meant to express stronger feelings), but said nothing about it. Instead, he answered my 'safe' question. "About four months after we came home."

"Two months ago? Why haven't you done anything before now?"

He grimaced, but not in an I'm-really-annoyed way. It was more of a resigned wince, like I'd used when talking about my parents many times back home. My eyes burned, but I was done crying. "Because it took us this long to convince our parents to let us go again. After we disappeared for a year, well, they weren't real happy about us leaving for who-knows-how-long."

This shocked me, but it really shouldn't have. It made sense that they all had families. I'd just never really thought about it before. The question slipped out before I could think about it. "Do you all live with your parents?" From the three winces I saw, I could tell this was a sore subject, but Kairi answered before I could apologize.

"Well, Sora does. Riku lives with his mom and younger brothers, and my grandma takes care of me."

I may not be tactful, but I knew better than to ask where her parents or Riku's dad were. "Where are we going?"

"To the Gummi ship," Riku replied shortly.

"Oh. What world are we going to?"

"Disney Castle."*

"Why?"

He glared at me in a way that suggested I should find something better to do than ask nosy questions. And that seemed to be the end of that. We made our way to the Third District in silence, walking through the rows of warehouses until we stopped at one that, as far as I could tell, had nothing to distinguish it from the rest. I surmised that this was the Gummi's hangar. _It was kind of silly,_ I thought._ Why would you need such a big building for such a small ship? _Then we walked inside, and I gaped in astonishment.

"Is- is that the Gummi ship?" Aware that my jaw was hanging open and I had no interest in catching bugs, I closed it rapidly but still couldn't hide my shock.

"I thought you saw it in your precious video game," Riku half-sneered. "Why does it surprise you? Was what you told us a lie?"

"No! It's just – the Gummi ship in Kingdom Hearts is small and blocky and red and reminds me of Legos. This…this is nothing like that." I took in the fantastical sight of the sleek, gleaming metal rocket ship that reminded me more of what NASA's wildest dreams might consist of than child's toys. Furthermore, it was **huge**, taking up almost every inch of the warehouse. In fact, it was much too big to get through the doors.

"Um, how do we get out of here?" I asked as a ramp protruded from the Gummi's smooth underbelly with a mechanical hiss.

"Don't worry. The roof lifts on a hinge," Kairi laughed, seeing my nervousness as we entered the ship.

This thing was unbelievable! I looked around at the complex instruments and shiny dials covering every inch of the cockpit, the plush chairs lined inside the main body of the ship, and the portholes that were miraculously thin and clear so that we would be able to see everything if we wished. It seemed more like a millionaire's private jet than the transportation for three- now four- teens.

Slightly awestruck, I called, "How many does it seat?"

"Twelve, including the pilot," Kairi replied confidently. I arched an eyebrow.

"What? I love this kind of thing. While Cid's the only one who really understands her, I can do most simple repairs and keep her afloat in emergencies," she explained, resting a hand on the wall of the cabin almost affectionately.

"Who flies her?"

"All three of us can, but usually Riku and Sora take turns doing it," she answered. "I like to keep an eye on things back here."

As it happened, Riku was to be our pilot for the day, and Sora chose to sit up front with him. Why, I wasn't sure, but I suspected that a lot of arguing over the new situation- namely, me- would occur. I was happy to miss out on that, as long as I knew what was decided, so Kairi and I took seats facing each other in the back of the Gummi.

Eyeing her sophisticated outfit and tidy hair, I wished I looked like I hadn't just rolled out of bed. She, however, seemed to be eyeing my clothes with equal interest.

"Is that how everyone dresses on your planet?" she asked curiously.

"No, no! It's just- we were attacked at night, and I was getting ready for bed…" I trailed off. She seemed to understand that I didn't want to talk about it.

I changed the subject. "So…how far away is Disney Castle?"

"Well, it's a few hours' flight. But it could be a lot worse- after all, it's not like this is charted territory."

That made sense. Just because there were specific paths to specific worlds in the game, didn't mean it would be so simple here.

Then I thought of something- I remembered that Sora had slept for a year (along with Donald and Goofy) to regain his memories, and Riku had been traveling and using the Darkness to help Sora, but hadn't Kairi gone back home?

"Kairi, um, I have a question." She inclined her head, a silent signal to ask. "Didn't you go back home before?" She flinched.

"Well, yes. When Sora and Riku were gone, I was home. And no one knew where Riku was or why I'd come back and he hadn't. But...the worst part was, none of us remembered Sora- not even his parents. I thought there had been someone I cared ab- I mean played with, besides Riku, but we just couldn't remember. I don't know why... maybe because of Roxas, but I had Namine and no one forgot me." She looked down, and I could tell she was baffled and frustrated by her losing even her memories of Sora. I struggled to find something to say.

"Well, weren't you the one who remembered him the most? And everyone remembers him now, right?"

This obviously wasn't as comforting as I intended it to be. She burst out, "Yeah but-" then cut herself off and glanced away. There was an awkward pause. I fidgeted and pushed my glasses up my nose.

"What's life like on your planet?" When she saw my face, she apologized for pushing, but I could tell she really was curious.

"Well, it's very different from here. We don't travel to other worlds, but Earth is so big and has so many people that it doesn't matter as much. Life is…." I struggled for a way to describe it. "Fast-paced. We're always on our cell phones or iPads, watching TV and driving our shiny cars. It seems like we let stuff pass us by sometimes because we're so busy with our little screens. Everything's always rushed; it's pretty much go, go, go!" then I looked up and saw she was completely lost. "Do…do you guys not have cell phones? Or cars?"

She shook her head. "What's an eyepad?" It took me a long time to explain, and when I was done I still wasn't sure she got it. I could tell the little gleam in her eye was her bursting with questions about our technology, but she put it aside for later to ask an even more personal question.

"What about your family?"

That stung. I closed my eyes, picturing my mom and dad's faces, seeing my little sister bug me about hogging the remote.

"I live with my mom and dad, and I have a little sister named Kate. My…my parents do computer stuff for a living and my little sister is a freshman at my school." My mom and dad…They'd be so worried. If they had made it. I was used to them protecting me, but it was my turn to protect them- if I could find them. And my sis- she acted so tough and world-weary, but she was only 14. I knew she'd roll her eyes and yell at me if I ever said this to her, but I felt responsible for her. I wondered if they'd survived, or turned into… No. That couldn't be true. I had to believe they were out there, looking for me as I was looking for them.

And what about Earth? What had really happened last night? Had it been just my city that was swallowed, or my state? The country? The whole planet? Were people in other areas safe, or had they discovered the Darkness too? If just the metroplex had been taken by Heartless, was the rest of the world oblivious to our obliteration? Boy, would the news crews be all over that! Where could I find the answers I needed?

I reached into my pockets, emptying them on the seat beside me. Kairi studied every move I made, but kept quiet. The hair tie, the crackers, my wallet and jump drive…all were fairly useless here, but I would keep them- they were all I had left of my home. When I pulled out my iPod, however, she couldn't hold back. "Is that one of those phone thingies you were telling me about?"

"No, it's an iPod. It plays music." Her face was blank. I tossed it to her gently, along with the earbuds. She caught it in one hand. _Nice reflexes_, I noted.

"What do I do?"

I leaned over to show her. "Here, stick those little black things in your ears. Then turn it on and pick a playlist. You can change songs by pushing this. Turn the dial for volume control." I started a random song for her. Her eyes got really big. Then she grinned and settled back in her seat.

I sat back, turning to my wallet to see what was inside. I opened it and started rummaging, automatically thinking, _I should really clean this out._ My library card, my debit card, my license (_big help that'll be_), a little over 20 bucks, receipts from Half Price Books and a Mexican place by my house, and… three photos.

I pulled them out gently. The first was of me and a big group of my friends from the start-of-school bummer party we'd had the month before. I smiled, running my finger over everyone's big grins, and flipped to the next. It was the group shot we always took at the family reunion (my mom's side) camping in Iowa every summer. It wasn't a perfect shot- Christopher, my youngest cousin, was squirming, my three older cousins Jon, Carrie, and Wade were chatting, and several of my uncles had turned their heads, but that just made it more real. I smiled as I saw that Kate and I were sitting with our favorite cousins, Rosa, Joy, and Heather. We were all within four years of each other, and we'd been best friends pretty much since birth. We called each other sisters, and it was like we really were- they were just too far away for us to see each other very much. They lived in Kansas… I wondered if they were okay. Then I shook my head, and forced myself to move on. I thought I knew what the last one was, but I wasn't sure. Moving my big-family shot to the bottom, I saw.

The third photo was my mom and dad, my sis, and me. They'd taken a day off work and we'd gone to the zoo. For once, nobody looked stressed out, and I was actually in the shot (I'm normally the photographer). It was several years old, before Kate started avoiding cameras, and we all had those tired-but-happy smiles. It hadn't been a perfect day (how often do you have those?) but it had been a good one, and that's what mattered. Sitting in a Gummi ship with Kairi listening to my songs across from me, I stared at my family, memorizing their faces and trying not to think it might be the closest I'd ever get to them again, until we arrived.

* * *

* The asterisks next to The World that Never Was and Disney Castle are there to indicate that, while those aren't what Sora, Riku, and Kairi call those worlds (and honestly, why would they? Who ever heard of an actual place called the World that Never Was?), I'm using those names so as not to confuse the readers. This will apply for all worlds from the games.

AN: Yeah, so enjoy the extra-long chapter. Again, review please! I know you're out there!


	8. Bumpy Landings In More Ways than 1

Chapter 8: Bumpy Landings- In More Ways Than One

* * *

Disney Castle* (and that's the last time I'm putting the star by it because it's annoying; just know it applies to all uses) was not what I had expected. Looking out the porthole, I could see that it was large and castle-y, but it differed in the decorations (that awful pastel mix wasn't everywhere) and the upkeep. I knew from the games that Goofy was in charge of the castle guards or something like that, but I hadn't considered that that meant there would be so many guards. And they looked none too happy about us landing.

I wasn't happy about us landing, either. It was much quicker and more abrupt than landing in an airplane, especially when Riku cut the engines and allowed us to drop the last 10 feet to the ground. _Oh god, we're gonna die!_ I closed my eyes and tried to ignore my stomach's protests at the bumpiness. Then it stopped- it seemed we were down safely. I took a peek, and saw Kairi trying to hide giggles.

"Don't worry." She struggled to sound reassuring and not amused. "It really is the best way to land. That's how we do it every time." This wasn't as comforting as she'd probably meant it to be.

"Great," I muttered peevishly. "Now I know what to look forward to."

She lost control of a snort at that point. I chose to ignore it in favor of disembarking- at least until the ramp started to go down and the guards formed ranks, staring us down hostilely with weapons at the ready. At this point, Sora and Riku had exited the cockpit, and they seemed as surprised as me. Well, Sora did- Riku's eyes had widened for just a second, and I figured that was probably as much as he ever showed surprise.

"Sora, what do we do?" Kairi hissed under her breath while smiling politely. Wow, multi-tasker- good for her.

Sora stepped forward. "Hello? We just came to see the Queen- and Donald and Goofy, if they're here." But not the King? I guessed his note had been a goodbye-I'm-running-off-on-some-mission-again warning, much like the one he'd left to the Queen at the beginning of the first game. _But why send it to Sora, Kairi, and Riku?_ I wondered.

The guards didn't seem impressed with Sora's claim. "Who are you?" the one in front grunted tersely.

"Oh, I'm Sora, and these are my friends- Riku, Kairi, and Elizabeth," he stated, gesturing to each of us in turn.

It appeared they knew his name, however. They all lowered their weapons (but I couldn't help noticing they didn't put them away) and most stepped back just a little. Head Guard Dude growled, "Riku? The King's friend? And Sora, the Keyblade master?" I could tell Kairi wasn't excited to be left off the list, but she resisted the urge to say anything as the boys nodded.

Head Guard Dude thought about this (it seemed to be hard work) and finally declared, "Both of you may come this way. But don't try anything."

Riku looked back at me and Kairi. "What about them?" I was surprised he cared, until I realized that he didn't want to leave me alone with Kairi.

The guard replied, "They can come- if you vouch for them."

Sora replied instantly, "Of course, I vouch for both."

Riku glowered. I smirked just a little and the four of us proceeded to follow the guards through the gates.

We walked through a bright and airy entryway, and then a hall filled with paintings, that led to another hallway, that led deeper into the castle. I wasn't sure, but I guessed we were headed towards the center of the castle and the throne room. I watched warily as we passed, but the guards, while definitely keeping an eye on us, did nothing to harm us and I didn't see any Heartless anywhere. I wondered vaguely if they only showed up in Traverse Town, but that little tiny bit of (I admit it, unreasonable) hope was shot down rudely by my voice of reason. _They showed up on all the worlds in the games,_ it reminded me. _Yeah, well, other stuff has been different,_ I defended my wish. _What makes you think that you're lucky enough for this to be?_ It had a point, darn it. I have horrible luck.

Then we arrived at our mysterious destination, and I jerked my thoughts back to the situation I'd found myself in. The doors to the room were at least thirty feet tall! _Why in heaven's name would anyone want to deal with the bother of pushing those open?_ Then my question was answered as a smaller door, set within the bigger door and at a much more reasonable size, was swung open. _But that makes even less sense! What's the point of having doors that don't open?_

All four of us entered what was undoubtedly the throne room (_haha, I was right_) and our gazes went straight to the two thrones at the end of the vast room. One was empty. The other was occupied by Queen Minnie. Mindful of the fact that the guards had all straightened and were watching us very closely, I moved slowly. We walked up the carpet (a long thin red strip; oh, the irony) and she clambered down off her throne to meet us in the middle. Before we reached her though, I saw a blur out of the corner of my eye and ducked instinctively. However, this particular missile wasn't aiming for me- it was headed at Sora. Before anyone could do anything, it had knocked him to the ground in a tackle hug with a glad cry of, "Ahyuck! Sora!"

I peered closer at Sora's attacker. Tall, silly, with black hanging ears and that strange nose, it was undoubtedly Goofy. Everyone else realized this at the same time. "Goofy!" Sora cried, hugging him back just as enthusiastically. Then he paused and looked around. "Where's Donald?"

"He had some personal business ta take care of, ahyuck."

The Queen reached us, and we all bowed- even Kairi and me. Goofy stood at attention and gave a salute. "It's all right, dears," she said in a very high-pitched voice that nevertheless was one of the sweetest I'd ever heard.

She turned to Sora and Riku. "How good to see you again, Sora. And Mickey has told me so much about you, Riku." I could tell Kairi was holding back a frown, but the Queen addressed her next. "You must be Kairi. Sora talked about you all the time. He never gave up looking for you, you know." Kairi and Sora both blushed. Now the only one left out was me. Minnie looked up at me, then at Sora questioningly. I felt myself turn just a little red.

Before Sora could say anything and Riku could shoot it down, I bowed again (there was no way I was going to curtsey in sweats) and said softly, "I'm Elizabeth, ma'am- I mean, Your Majesty."

"Oh! And where are you from?" Being very polite, she didn't stare at my outfit, but I knew I was meeting royalty in my pajamas and flushed dark red.

"I'm from Earth, Your Majesty. It was just taken by Darkness, and I don't know if anyone else made it." I couldn't hide the hope in my voice as I asked her, "You haven't heard anything, have you?"

"Oh dear! I'm afraid not. This is what Mickey was worried about," she sighed, sadly looking at the vacant throne next to hers.

Riku asked intently, "Do you know where he went?"

"No. He didn't say anything. He left us a note again, but I do believe it's as vague as last time."

Sora added, "We got a note too."

The Queen's eyes widened. "Really, my dears? Could you tell me… what did it say?"

Sora fished in a pocket briefly and triumphantly pulled out a slightly crumpled piece of paper. "I can do better! Here it is."

Riku started to object as Sora began to read it aloud, glaring daggers at me, but the damage was done. I moved closer to make sure I wouldn't miss anything, and a muscle in his jaw twitched. However, I forgot about him and his paranoia problems as I heard what King Mickey had said.

* * *

**_Riku, Sora, Kairi,_**

**_The Heartless are coming back. The Darkness is risin' again, and this time Ansem can't help us. I think there's more than one person behind this. I'm gonna go check into it, but I have to do it alone. Stay alert. Be careful. Make sure everybody is safe. And don't come lookin' for me._**

**_King Mickey_**

**_P.S. Riku, could ya tell Queen Minnie I'm sorry? Thanks for everything, pal._**

* * *

_* The asterisks next to The World that Never Was and Disney Castle are there to indicate that, while those aren't what Sora, Riku, and Kairi call those worlds (and honestly, why would they? Who ever heard of an actual place called the World that Never Was?), I'm using those names so as not to confuse the readers. This will apply for all worlds from the games._

_**AN**: I will be updating tomorrow (Thursday) like usual (I'm really sorry this is late!), but after tomorrow I will not be updating for two weeks- don't expect to hear from me again until Monday August 6, people. Family reunions- two weeks' worth. But they'll be fun- hopefully. So yeah... next-to-last chapter before my two week leave! Hope you like! Let me know what you think the King means... I'll be interested to see if you can guess! Ah, how we writers entertain ourselves... *smirk*  
_


	9. Donald You Rascal

Queen Minnie's eyes were worried as Sora finished the last sentence and stopped. It was quiet for a minute. "Oh, that isn't much more help than what he told me," the Queen sighed, clearly troubled by her husband's disappearance.

"What do you make of it?" Kairi asked her.

"Well, you see, it's difficult to tell what goes on in Mickey's head. Last time I sent Donald and Goofy to find him, but Donald can't do that now and Goofy's been such a help to me." She paused, and then her face brightened as she had an idea. "Would you do it for me?"

Riku nodded immediately, and I remembered that he and the King had gotten pretty close during Riku's fight against the Darkness. Sora chimed, "Of course! But… what is Donald doing that he couldn't do this?"

Queen Minnie started to answer, but was interrupted by a commotion in the hallway that sounded remarkably like squawking. I heard two voices. One was unmistakably Donald's, and the other was lighter, very lovely despite the fact that its owner currently sounded as if she was planning on cooking an unfortunate Donald for dinner.

"What do you MEAN you LOST them? !"

Donald laugh-quacked nervously. "Well… don't be mad, Daisy! I only turned around for a minute, I swear!"

"Ooh, if we don't find them, you are in very hot water mister! !"

The ducks in question, for now I knew that they were undoubtedly Donald and his girlfriend/wife (I'd never really figured out which) Daisy, burst into the throne room. I wondered who or what exactly Donald had misplaced- and if Daisy would tear him to shreds right in front of us. However, this proved not to be necessary because Goofy- unnoticed by the rest of us- calmly walked over to the corner, picked up what looked to be two small bundles of white rags, and handed his burden to Daisy, since Donald was running around the room checking under chairs and on tables. Daisy managed to look both relieved and angry at the same time. "Donald Duck!"

He turned nervously, then saw what she was holding and sagged in relief. _What was she holding? _"Oh, you found them! Not to worry, right? Erm, see? No trouble at all. I knew where they were the whole time, in fact!"

She stared him down. For a three-foot tall duck wearing a dress, she was quite terrifying. "Oh really?"

"Uh." He did the nervous quack-laugh again as she bore down on him like a train on the railroad tracks: immovable and impossible to escape. Donald might have been a dead duck if Sora hadn't stepped in.

"Excuse me," he said. "I know I met you last time, Daisy, and it's very nice to see you again, but my friends haven't met you." Wow, that was pretty quick thinking. I silently congratulated him, and Donald let out a huge sigh of relief.

"This is my wife, Daisy," he quickly stepped in. Then his eyes widened as he realized who had just saved him. "Soraaa!" he quacked, throwing himself on Sora just like Goofy had.

Sora laughed and hugged him back. "How ya doin', Donald? What's going on around here?"

Donald drew back, and puffed up his chest, looking proud of himself. Daisy, however, spoke before he could. "What's going on is that my husband is failing to do his job and keep track of the little ones while I rest!"

Did she just say little ones? I re-examined the two bundles in her arms, and as I did, one shifted. Now I could see that they were covered in white feathers, not white rags, and had tiny orange bills just like their parents'. Awww!

Sora reared back in shock at this pronouncement. "Whoa, Donald! You're a dad? ! ?"

The duck in question nodded, smug and proud. Sora grabbed him in another hug. "That's awesome! ! Congratulations!"

"Aw, put me down, ya big palooka," Donald grumbled- but I could tell he didn't really mind. After that, the couple was congratulated and the babies were admired by everyone present. It took quite a while. I was fascinated by the ducklings and insisted on some practical info.

"They're precious! How old are they?" I asked respectfully of Daisy as I stroked a feather of the nearest duckling, since it was the closest I could get to finger-holding.

The best way to a mama's heart, especially a new mama, is to compliment her babies. Daisy glowed. "Five months."

I cooed and nodded. I had no idea how duck life cycles worked, and I suspected that Donald and Daisy wouldn't exactly be the average case anyway, so I just remembered the fact in case it would be useful at some later date.

"What are their names?"

"He is Drew, and she is Diana."

I smiled, charmed by the D-name tradition. "They're beautiful," I told her sincerely, and glanced up to see Riku studying me closely. Upon noticing that I was noticing his staring, it changed to a dark glare and he stalked off. What, like I was going to hurt the ducklings? Ooh…

After we all finished fluttering over the new family additions, Queen Minnie brought the conversation back to business somewhat reluctantly. "As you can see, Donald is too busy looking after the younglings to go with you. Will you agree to look for the King?"

All four of us nodded. She smiled. "Thank you. All four of you, for agreeing. The least I can do is offer you rooms here at the castle for as long as you need them." We accepted her offer gratefully. "Oh, and dears?"

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Yen Sid and the fairies have come to make their homes here. After Pete got into the castle at _ so easily, they were frightened that Maleficent and the Heartless would return. So I offered them a place to stay here, and they accepted. If you want to go talk to them, they're in the north tower." She turned to me. "I'm sure the three good fairies would be happy to come up with something more suitable for you to wear." I blushed, but had to admit I was ready to get out of my cami and sweats.

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_**AN:** WAHHH! _I'm sorry this is late! But I was busy Thursday and yesterday my stupid account wasn't working right... *Grumbles and apologizes* Anyway, enough excuses- my bad. So... yeah. I kinda just randomly came up with this, and it's just something I wanted to throw in- so let me know what you think! Plus I think it would be funny for grumpy Donald to be a daddy... hee hee. This is my last update for two weeks. See you then. PS. I know it's kinda a weird place to end a chapter, but hey, aren't you glad it's not a cliffhanger? ;)


	10. I Finally Get Out of My PJs

Hey! So, this chapter probably isn't what you wanted to wait three weeks for. But stick with me through the long-winded descriptions, ok? I'm one of those people who has to be able to see the characters in my head, and since this is basically what Elizabeth's going to be wearing for the rest of the fic, I thought you might want to know. Plus there is some important stuff in here... And, I'll upload another chapter after this ok? Now, on with the story!

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Chapter 10: I Finally Get Out of my PJs

We all bowed, thanked her, congratulated the couple once again, and turned to make our way to the north tower. Head Guard Dude- much friendlier now that his Queen and his captain had approved our visit- showed us the way, which was good since Sora was the only one who had been here before and his sense of direction is almost as abysmal as mine.

We reached the north tower and knocked on the great wooden door. I gulped nervously- after all, Yen Sid had been Mickey's teacher, so he was one of the most powerful characters. _Except they're not really characters_, I corrected myself. _They're all real people, and you are in their world- so treat them like it._ I had to admit, the discrepancies between the Gummi ship and Disney Castle in the game and here in reality made me nervous- how much else of what I thought I knew was wrong?

I put this aside however as the door creaked on its hinges and swung inward. I was prepared for almost anything, but was relieved when it turned out to be a slightly stooped man with a long gray beard and a blue robe, who matched Master Yen Sid's portrayal in the games. Was it Master Yen Sid? Then he spoke, and any doubt I had was washed away. There was great power and great restraint in his gravelly voice, as if he could have dominated the universe and had chosen not to.

"Yes? Oh, it's you, Sora. Are these your friends?" He said nothing more, but uttered a quiet "Hmm" as he studied each of us intently in turn. I squirmed when his gaze fell upon me- unlike Queen Minnie, I could see him cataloging my appearance and filing it away for future use. After his examination, he opened the door and gestured us in silently.

I expected his chambers to be large and somewhat strewn with mystical and powerful-looking artifacts, but still somehow showing dignity and silence. They probably would have- except for the three fairies. Immediately upon entering, the trio swooped down on us, gossiping and chattering like the biggest and loudest birds you've ever seen.

"Oh, Sora dear!"

"Lovely to see you again!"

"It's you! And who are your friends?"

I was dumbstruck. They were fluttering around like brainless ninnies, but I could tell their power was nothing to sniff at either. Then they turned their attention to the rest of us, and hurried introductions were made. As I told them my name, the red fairy eyed me thoughtfully (she seemed to be the leader) and said quite plainly, "Oh, no. That won't do at all, I'm afraid."

And before I could say a single word of thanks or (more likely) protest, they'd swept me off to another room. I shot Kairi a pleading glance as they towed me away, and she followed, leaving Sora and Riku to talk with Yen Sid. I was starting to wish I'd been given that chance as well, if only to get out from under the scrutinizing gaze of the magical trio.

"I do believe you are in need of some new attire, m'dear," the red one said briskly.

"Now, Flora, be gentle," the green fairy remonstrated softly.

The blue fairy spoke in a voice that seemed gentler than what she might normally use. "It looks as though she's been through a lot." Their kind eyes rested on me. I looked at the floor and tried to swallow the tears that wanted to come at the blue fairy's reminder.

"Be that as it may, Merryweather, a change of clothes might do her some good," Flora said briskly, not to be deterred.

I looked at Kairi, and she gave me a thumbs-up. _Thanks for the help_, I thought a trifle sourly. But I definitely didn't want to run around in my PJs any longer than I had to, so I looked Flora in the eyes and said, "Yes please."

"Be warned that we will change the things you are wearing into your new outfit," Merryweather spoke up. "If you are attached to any of it, let us know."

My hand curled around my necklace protectively, which I only take off for sleeping and showering- I'd worn it every day for almost five years. It wasn't fancy- small and oval, the pendant was a shimmering blue color and made from the inside of a shell. It was strung on a simple silver chain. I looked down at my worn and faded sleepwear and felt a pang- they reminded me of home, of my normal life- which I'd had less than twenty-four hours ago. Had it really only been a day? It seemed so much longer… But they weren't practical. I needed something I could wear a lot, meet new people in without getting embarrassed, and fight in.

"I want to keep my necklace. Please don't change it."

The green fairy nodded. Flora asked, "Merryweather, Fauna, ready?" They nodded. All three rolled up their sleeves, produced a wand, and pointed said wands at me. There was a flash of red, blue, and green light, bright enough that I closed my eyes. When I opened them and looked down, I was horrified. I was wearing an impractical, ridiculously low-cut purple dress that came to mid-thigh and had buttons and zippers everywhere. It looked a lot like Kairi's, actually, except it wasn't pink- thank goodness.

"NO, I don't do dresses! Or skirts," I added, spying the gleam in their eyes.

No one present seemed inclined to listen, but my glare subdued them and the wands waved again. A few admiring murmurs were heard from the fairies and Kairi let out a little gasp. Well, they seemed to like the new outfit- would I? I opened my eyes and took a peek.

Much better. I was wearing a (still somewhat low-cut but way better than before) shirt with no sleeves. It was a pale light blue, except for two small silver patches on my shoulders that looked almost like tips coming over my shoulders from the back- if I had to guess, they were the same shade as Riku's hair. I tried not to think about that. The midsection was also not blue- instead, it was a thick green-striped band that went from the middle of my rib cage to just above my belly button. Below that, the fabric went back to silky blue and ended an inch or two above the waist of my bottoms. I don't know how they did it, but the three fairies had conjured up an exact duplicate of my favorite jean capris back home. They went to mid-calf and were rolled up at the cuffs. The denim, a completely familiar shade of navy blue, felt like home. I also had a belt around my waist- a simple swooping piece of fabric that looked much like one of Sora's, except I only had one. I figured one belt was plenty. Attached to my belt was a simple loop, made of a sturdy leather, about three inches wide. I looked at the fairies quizzically.

"For holding your sword, dear."

"Oh. Wait, isn't the sword supposed to go on your opposite hip?"

Flora looked at me a little strangely and said, "Yes."

"Then I need the loop or sheath or whatever on my right hip, please. I'm left-handed."

"Really? Hmm." Saying no more, Flora gave her wand a tiny flick and I found the belt switched. I nodded in thanks and returned my attention to my outfit.

My feet were covered in large sneakers that didn't look like any I'd ever seen on Earth. However (I glanced at Kairi's feet), they seemed to be more common here. They were red, a brilliant red except for a pair of wide criss-crossing stripes close to my ankles, which were the same silver as the shoulders of my shirt.

I had been apprehensive, but… it was perfect. I lifted a hand to my hair, and found that it had been done in a complicated, swirly updo. I ran my fingers over it, then over my face to check for makeup. I didn't find any, thank goodness- I drew the line of magical makeovers at redecorating my face. But it felt like something was missing… I touched my eyelids and knew. "Where are my glasses?"

The fairies all watched me intently. "Do you need them?" I started to retort that of course I did, when I realized... that I didn't. I could see everything, from faint scuff marks on the floor to the details of the fairies' crazy hat-things. They had fixed my eyes! I could see!

I looked up, letting my gratitude shine in my face, since I was having trouble finding words to express it (which is not a problem I normally have, let me assure you). "How…how did you?... The clothes, and my eyes!.. It doesn't matter. Thanks, thank you so much!" I sent a huge smile their way, and the fairies beamed.

"No thanks necessary, m'dear," said Flora.

Fauna added, "We're so glad you like it," her eyes twinkling back at me.

In a rather gruff voice, Merryweather threw in, "Just be careful now, you hear?"

Kairi and I promised. With that, the fairies bid us fond farewells (at least for now) and flew away to a higher level of the tower. Kairi and I glanced at each other, shrugged, and went back to rejoin Sora and Riku.

* * *

Hey! So, yeah. This is super late, and I'm really sorry! Especially for those of you who stopped by the last few days to see if I had put anything new up- thank you so much for your dedication and support! I'm really sorry! And I don't really have anything to say for myself, except a surprise 3-day visit from my grandparents and college craziness- which, sad to say, will not be slowing down any time soon. So if my updates become a little more erratic, bear with me please. However, I have good news and bad news. Good news: I'm putting up two chapters today for your patience! I wanted to do three, but... Bad news: The next chapter is the last of what I have pre-written. I have a half chapter past that, and some basic ideas, but I dunno how much I'll be able to get done on any given day. So... that also means my updates are not going to be twice a week, nice and neat, any more. Sorry.

Plus, school starts in a mere 15 days! Booo! And I have no idea how often I'll be able to upload during the year. Just know this, I am NOT abandoning this fic! I may be out of pre-written material (for the beginning of the story), but I have lots of random parts of the rest of it done, and I won't give up on this. My first little fanfic baby! I won't leave you! *cough* Ahem. Yeah. So, enjoy the next chapter! We'll actually be getting to the plot soon!


	11. Alone with Riku

Chapter 11: Alone with Riku

I couldn't help but marvel as I looked around. I could see everything, and there wasn't a film over everything (I'm not so good about cleaning my glasses) or a glint when I tilted my head. As we entered the front room, Sora, Riku, and Yen Sid all looked up from their discussion and eyed me. I tried not to squirm, feeling embarrassed but keeping from blushing for once. Sora grinned and said, "Looks nice, Elizabeth!"

Riku said lazily, "Better than what you were wearing." I lost the fight not to blush, though I couldn't decide whether it was because I was angry, embarrassed, or humiliated. Yen Sid said nothing, but I hadn't expected him to. He just nodded and redirected the boys' attention to whatever they were talking about, now in lower voices. Kairi eyed me, and I could tell she, too, was having trouble deciding whether to join in or not. We didn't get the chance to barge in, though- less then a minute later, Yen Sid said one last thing and simply vanished. My jaw dropped yet again. Outfit-changing was one thing, but teleporting?! Wow. Magic was real- and it was happening right in front of me! I held back a hyper squeal (I've read fantasy all my life, and I waited for my letter from Hogwarts for two years).

There was a pause as all four of us accepted the fact that he'd disappeared, leaving the room without moving or even saying anything. Then we all moved to the middle of the room and stood there a little awkwardly. I reached up to fiddle with my glasses, only to realize that they were no longer there. I've had glasses since I was six- this was going to take some getting used to. Kairi broke the silence. "Are you guys hungry?"

Sora nodded emphatically and made like he was going to pass out from starvation, and the ice was broken. Riku laughed. "Sora, that doesn't count. You're always hungry!" I bit my lip at the sound of his laugh. It was beautiful… _No! Don't think about it! Ignore him, ignore him, ignore him. _

Kairi giggled and said with affection, "Quit that, silly. C'mon, let's go get food then." And she waved Sora out the door before her. I could see Riku was thinking about following them, but instead he sat down on a chair and gestured for me to do the same on the chair next to his. I swallowed and did so. What did he want?

He just looked at me for a minute, face blank and eyes inscrutable. I wiggled in my seat a little. Why was he staring? I felt a strand of my hair slip down from where it had been positioned and fall over my eyes. I let it hang there for a minute, contemplating ignoring it, before sighing and brushing it out of my way. At this, Riku's face hardened and he spoke. "So. Now you know." I could tell he was pretty pissed about this, so I replied cautiously.

"Yeah."

When I didn't say anything else, he looked at me and challenged, "What're you going to do about it?"

"Well, I'm not going to tell anybody, if that's what you mean." I was getting defensive- like I would ever be a spy, even if I could! My face is too easy to read, and I don't have the temperament for sneaking around and keeping all the lies straight.

He snorted at this, clearly not believing me. My eyes narrowed and I turned to inspect the fringing on the arms of my fluffy chair. While Yen Sid had taken over most of the tower, it was clear Queen Minnie had done the decorating. Then I heard him ask unwillingly, "What do you think?"

I was startled. Clearly he hated having to ask my opinion. He would never have done it if he wasn't worried. I thought back over what I'd heard, and relayed my first impression. "I think… it sounded like the King isn't planning on coming back."

His fist clenched. "Why would you say that?"

"The PS. It sounded a lot like a goodbye." I looked up, and his face was expressionless, but his eyes were stricken. I hurriedly added, "At least to me. But I've never met him. What did you think?" I asked him daringly.

His hand slowly relaxed and went limp. "I think we're in big trouble." Then he glanced down at me and shut his mouth abruptly, like he hadn't meant to say that much. His eyes were angry- I guessed he regretted giving me, the supposed spy, that much info. Neither of us said anything for several minutes, the silence tense and uncomfortable. I lost myself in memorizing the shade of stormy greenish blue his eyes were at the moment and the way his bangs fell over them, parted here and there, shifting as he ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Then I caught myself and promptly turned my attention to analyzing the couch's pattern, berating myself silently. It couldn't have been much later when Kairi and Sora returned with two guards in tow that they'd roped into helping carry food, but it felt like forever.

It didn't feel right to eat in Yen Sid's rooms, even if he wasn't there, so we sat on the floor in the hallway and helped ourselves. I struggled a bit with the food- it wasn't quite like anything I'd ever had before, and I don't really know how to describe it. Let's just say it wasn't a cheeseburger folks. As we ate, Sora, Kairi, and Riku swapped stories and told jokes, having a good time. Admittedly, Sora and Kairi did most of the talking, but Riku chipped in a few times and listened attentively. He didn't laugh again, but I saw him smile a few times, and tried to ignore the increased thumping of my heart. Sora and Kairi both tried to include me, but I was having a hard enough time swallowing past the lump in my throat, so I just moved my head in a yes or no in response to my questions. Soon enough they gave up. I listened to them enjoying each other's company and tried not to think about school lunches with my friends or suppertime at home.

Just as we were finishing up, a dignified-looking rooster (wearing a tuxedo jacket, of all things!) turned the corner and crowed in surprise and disapproval, eying the dishes scattered haphazardly on the tile critically. However, he was too polite to mention them, instead bowing and intoning, "Her Majesty requested that I show you to your rooms. Please, follow me." I stifled a giggle- a rooster butler bowing was one of the funniest things I'd ever seen.

Sora looked at the mess on the floor helplessly and started to clean it up, the three of us immediately chipping in, but the rooster butler (the rootler?) cut us off with just a hint of disdain. "Don't concern yourselves with that. Someone will clean it up."

Sora, Kairi, and I all tried to apologize (Riku just shifted his weight and looked bored) but the rootler would have none of it. "This way, sirs and madams." He turned and gestured to the stairs. Obediently, we followed him down a floor and through three hallways before he came to a stop in a corridor lined with endless doors- or so it seemed to me, tired and lost as I was. Fortunately, the four rooms we were given were all next to each other. Riku insisted on putting himself between me and the other two, and I was exhausted enough that I didn't even care. I fumbled the doorknob, finally getting it to turn, and barely took in the room (bed, desk, sitting area, bathroom- really, it was more like a suite) before collapsing on the bed and falling asleep instantaneously.

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Hee hee. So, I guess that's probably not what most of you had in mind when you saw the chapter title. Oh well, what can I say? Hope you guys are patient... I finally started edging my way into actual plot, yay! Let me know what you think, please! Your reviews inspire me :D Also, I have one other thing I'm planning on posting soon- a character profile sheet to go with this story. It'll have everyone we've met so far (well, everyone who's important- it does not include Head Guard Dude or the rootler) and some of the characters from worlds we haven't been to yet. I won't give too much away, but if you check it out, you can look and see what worlds I'm planning to visit! Hopefully, it'll also make things easier for people who haven't played the games to understand my little fanfic here. If I do post it, I'll let you guys know! It's going to be posted as a separate story and not a chapter, so keep your eyes peeled!


	12. A Wonderful Start to the Day

Hi! If anyone's still out there, I'm back!... Tada! *cringes away from buckets of rotten tomatoes being thrown* I'm sorry I vanished! Life has been insane. But I have miraculously found time to write, and I have vowed to never neglect it this much again. So even if I don't update that often (and I swear, I will do my best to make sure it's never *checks stats and winces* _five months!_ again), I promise I'm writing. Even if you don't see it, I'm working on it. If any of my readers are still waiting, I owe you guys the biggest apology ever! I don't deserve you! ! *gives everyone a huge cake decorated with their favorite KH character* Please accept this bribe- I mean, gift- and my humblest apologies.

So yeah, here's a chapter. A really long chapter! I mean, this baby's easily double the length of my longest one before now. Also, I'm going to try and make sure that all my future chapters are around this length, because if I keep throwing this out there in 1500-word chunks we're never getting done. I hope you likey!

Anyway, enough rambling. On with the show- I mean, story!

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Chapter 12: A Wonderful Start to the Day

When I woke up, light was streaming in through the window. _Why'd I leave my blinds open?_ I wondered. Well, that was a strange dream. I seemed to remember something about meeting the main characters of the Kingdom Hearts video games... man, my dreams were getting weirder and weirder. I cracked one eye open and rolled over to grab my glasses off my dresser, but my groping hand only found air. Odd. I opened both eyes fully, and realized that I wasn't in my room. Also, I could see everything- none of it was blurry. _Had I fallen asleep with my glasses on? I had been really tired…_ I touched my face, but they weren't there. _Huh?_ And…I finally processed the whole not-my-bedroom thing (I'm sloooow when I first wake up, in case you hadn't figured that out by now) and started to panic. What was going on? I bolted out of bed and tried not to fall over as I felt pins-and-needles everywhere. I looked around and then down. What was I wearing? What kind of clothes were those? Then it all came crashing down on me.

It wasn't a dream. I was in Disney Castle, staying as a guest of Queen Minnie, who I'd met yesterday after flying in the Gummi ship from Traverse Town, where I'd met Riku, Kairi, and Sora because I had fallen through the Darkness after Earth was swallowed. Earth was swallowed! _Damn it, it wasn't a dream!_ This was really happening.

I curled up in a ball and rocked back and forth on the floor for a minute before I pushed my head off my knees and forced myself to stand. _Enough of that._ I looked around for something to do, and when I glanced in the mirror I found it. My clothes were not wrinkled or mussed at all, despite the fact that I'd slept in them (bless magical wardrobes), but my hair had fallen down in messy tangled pieces from the smooth hairdo I hadn't bothered to take out last night. I groaned and searched the drawers for a hairbrush, finding only a comb. I made a face- combs are hell on long hair. _Oh well, it's what I've got._ When I was done, I used the restroom, enormously grateful that they had the same plumbing as we did, and jumped in the shower. Thank goodness they had showers too. I had just gotten dressed again and was braiding my damp hair down my back when there was a knock on my door. "Yeah?"

"It's Kairi. Can I come in?"

"Sure. What's up?"

She walked in and perched on the edge of one of the chairs. "How are you doing?"

Surprised at the genuine concern I heard in her voice, I turned and she met my eyes. I looked away swiftly, but my throat tightened. I said in as normal a voice as I could, "I'm fine."

She wasn't fooled. "Elizabeth-" She hesitated, then said quietly, "If you want to talk, I'm here okay?"

I bit my lip and held back tears. Then I turned and gave her a half smile. "Thanks, Kairi. I'll keep it in mind."

I finished my braid, and she nodded to it, clearly changing the subject- fine with me. "How did you do that?"

"Um, it's called a braid. There are lots of different ways to do it, but I can't do most of them."

"Will you teach me how?" I smiled.

Sure." The beginning of our friendship secured, we left my room. Kairi wanted to go see if Sora and Riku were up, but I caught the smell of food drifting through the air and both our stomachs growled. So we followed our noses.

Our noses led us down another flight of stairs, back to the first floor of the castle, and back through the hall of portraits, only there we turned left instead of right and found ourselves in a beautiful dining room. The walls were a warm but muted peach color, and the paintings hanging on the walls were all wonderfully-done peaceful landscapes. However, I wasn't paying much attention to that. The majority of the room was taken up by an enormous table, large enough to seat around forty people. At the moment, only three sat there, grouped around the end of the table closest to us and the door- the queen, Sora, and Riku. Except I couldn't pay too much attention to them either, because the table was piled high with food: eggs and meat, some sort of breadstuff, and tons of exotic-looking fruit. Though I didn't recognize any of it as something we ate at home, it all looked and smelled delicious. My stomach rumbled loudly enough that Kairi giggled, and I was certain the other three had heard it as well. Sure enough, Queen Minnie called out, "Please help yourselves, dears. There are plates right there."

My eyes fell upon the plates, and I snagged one and rapidly began filling it with fruit and bread, the two things I felt most comfortable with trying. Kairi did the same next to me, and soon our plates were full. She moved to sit down, and Sora held out the empty chair next to him with a grin. I studied the seating arrangements hesitantly. Sora sat in between Kairi and Riku, who was nearest the queen at the head of the table. I considered grabbing the chair next to Kairi, but decided on the spot across from Sora as safe ground. As soon as I sat down, I wished I hadn't picked there. I felt as though I was on exhibit again, all alone on my side of the ridiculously large table, and I was acutely aware of the infinite elbow room I had. It was a very lonely position. However, I had food and someone to eat with, so it was stupid to complain. I switched my gaze to study the three teens sitting across me.

Kairi was settling in, placing a napkin on her lap, and Sora was cheerfully grinning at her. There was no question about it- he was definitely a morning person. I suppressed a sigh. Riku seemed sullen, but not like it was a result of the morning. No, it looked as though this might just be standard for him. He smiled at Kairi in greeting, and it was like the sun coming out- only his smile didn't make me flinch like bright light at this early hour would. I felt the corners of my lips twitch upwards in automatic response, but then his attention shifted to me and the smile vanished instantaneously, to be replaced with an annoyed frown. The beginnings of my own smile disappeared, and I quickly turned my focus back to my plate.

"So dears, how did you sleep?" The high pitch and use of 'dear' meant I didn't even have to look up; I knew the speaker was Queen Minnie.

"Fine," all four of us chorused, almost at the same time. Sora was perky, Riku was perfunctorily polite, Kairi was reasonably alert, and I was groggy. A great start to the day, huh?

I slumped in my chair a little, resisting the urge to groan or lay my head down on the table. Instead, I speared an egg viciously with my fork and stuck it in my mouth, chewing half-heartedly. For some reason, I suddenly wasn't very hungry anymore.

I half-listened as Queen Minnie chirped, "Good. I'm glad to hear that." Then Riku spoke up, and I couldn't help but focus on his words.

"Your Majesty, when exactly did King Mickey leave?"

I glanced at the queen, and saw worried sadness fill her eyes. "Three months ago," she said softly.

Kairi let out a little gasp, and Riku's voice was strained, tinged with shock. "It took a month to get his note? A month..." He trailed off.

I forced my sleepy brain to wake up and think about this. It did seem like a long time... but then again, the king probably hadn't gone to Destiny Islands just to drop a bottle in the ocean. He must've let it go somewhere else... I frowned. That didn't make any sense. Then I remembered how Kairi's message, set adrift in the Destiny Islands, washed up on the shore in the realm of darkness. So it was possible, though my mind cringed away from the question of how.

Well then, the month's travel time made more sense. After all, floating from ocean to ocean on different worlds had to take a while. So a month wasn't bad, all things considered.

Riku didn't seem to feel the same way. He glowered darkly at the table, but was unsuccessful in hiding his worry. Sora eyed him, then turned back to Queen Minnie.

"Your Majesty, how're things going here? I mean," he rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably in a classic Sora gesture, "have you, you know, seen any Heartless? Or Nobodies," he added as an afterthought.

All four of us shifted our attention to the diminutive ruler sitting primly at the head of the table. She gazed back at us for a moment before replying.

Queen Minnie looked at us gravely and spoke softly but sweetly, "I haven't seen anything exactly, but Master Yen Sid warned me that the Darkness was coming to the castle, and soon." This horrifying piece of news was accompanied by a worried frown, and I felt bad for the tiny monarch. Left here to rule alone again, asked to shoulder the burden of protecting her people in addition to her concern for her husband. She needed the Keyblade wielders' help. Sora obviously came to the same conclusion, for he reached out and patted the little queen's hand.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty! We'll take care of it for you."

Riku nodded, and so did Kairi. I wondered what role I was to have in this, and decided that if I could, I wanted to help- so I nodded too. This earned me a grin from Sora, a small smile from Kairi, and a glare from Riku.

The queen beamed at us all. "Oh, thank you dears! You're such wonderful friends."

She looked like she might have had more to say, but suddenly the rootler bustled into the room and said self-importantly, "My Queen, there are people here to see you. I believe they mentioned something about trouble at the gate again."

Minnie sighed. "Oh, not again! I'm sorry, but I must deal with this. Please enjoy breakfast."

Kairi assured her, "No problem! We'll be fine."

"If you say so," the mouse replied. "Please let me know if there's anything I can do!"

"We will, Your Majesty," Riku promised.

She exited the room, harassed-looking rootler following close behind, and silence descended. I focused back on my food and took another bite, more from a sense of duty than hunger. Then I sensed someone staring at me and glanced up. Sora was gazing at me intensely, and he seemed to take my look as the only acknowledgement required to start a conversation/interrogation.

"So, Elizabeth, tell us about yourself."

I blinked in confusion. "What?"

He explained in an overly patient tone, "We don't really know anything about you. And if we're gonna travel together for who knows how long," Riku's glare intensified at this reminder, "then we should be friends, don't ya think?" If I thought Riku was mad before, he was well and truly pissed now, but before he could object vehemently, Kairi spoke up with a shy smile.

"I think that sounds great." Seeing that both of his friends were in firm agreement on this point, Riku folded his arms and leaned back in his chair to seethe quietly.

"How old are you?" Sora asked.

"I'm seventeen," I answered.

He grinned. "Me too!"

Kairi piped up, "When's your birthday?"

"In March. I'm seventeen and a half."

Sora pouted. "I turned seventeen last month. You're older than me," he grumbled. Then he brightened. "But I'm taller than you!"

I made a face at him. "Yeah, yeah, you and practically everyone else."

"Am I taller than you?" Kairi wondered suddenly, pushing back her chair with the clear intention of comparing.

However, I didn't feel like getting up, and I had noticed on our way to the dining room, so I grudgingly admitted, "Yeah, you're taller than me."

She insisted, "I want to see." I rolled my eyes and stood. Kairi came around the table and put her back to mine as Sora and Riku looked on with anticipation and sardonic amusement, respectively. I could hear her grin as she asked," Well?"

Sora announced, "Yup! You're taller than her, Kairi." I sighed quietly in resignation.

Riku smirked as he clarified, "By like two or three inches." I resisted the urge to stand on my tiptoes, knowing they'd only tease me about it. Instead, I sat back down, and so did Kairi.

Eager to change the subject, I asked, "So how old are you, Kairi? And what about Riku?"

Kairi informed me, "I'm sixteen, but I'll be seventeen in three months. My birthday's in December, if you don't want to do the math," she added with an impish smile.

I raised an eyebrow at Riku. "And you?" I asked him. Obviously he didn't want to talk to me, because he said nothing.

Sora jumped in in a (mostly unsuccessful) attempt to keep the silence from getting awkward. "He's eighteen; his birthday's in June." Riku didn't look happy about this getting shared, but he didn't protest since it was Sora who did the sharing- though this didn't keep him from shooting me a dirty look. What did I do?

I chose to ignore his hostility and turned to Sora. "Anything else you want to know?"

"Well, Elizabeth-" then he paused as a different thought came to him. "Isn't Elizabeth a really long name? It seems like a lot of work to say... I know! You need a nickname!"

I stared at him. He had to be joking; surely he wasn't so lazy that he couldn't deal with my four-syllable name? But Kairi seemed to agree with him, as she inquired, "What are the usual nicknames for your name?"

_Ookay_. "Well, there's a reason I don't have one. The most common is probably Liz or Lizzie, but my mom... hates those names." I didn't want to say any more, remembering that my family and friends might be dead while we stood here babbling about nicknames. I bowed my head, letting my hair fall over my face in case my grief was showing in my eyes.

"Hmm, how about Beth?"

"I don't think so," I replied shortly, working to keep my voice normal.

Kairi suggested, "Eliza?"

"Too old-fashioned."

She raised her eyebrows and got down to business. "El? Ella? Lisa? Izzy?"

Sora joined in with, "Bess? Betty? Ellie? Libby?"

None of them felt right, but by now they weren't even waiting for me to shake my head- they seemed to have turned it into a competition of some sort: whoever comes up with the best nickname wins. Eventually, their choices strayed farther and farther from my name. Several minutes later, I was listening with dismay to their latest suggestions, 'Tish' and 'Nika' (how they got there, I do not know) when a new voice broke the good-natured bickering with one quiet word.

"Liza."

Sora and Kairi shut up abruptly, and we all turned and stared at Riku, the speaker. He gave a twisted smirk. "For her nickname. Liza."

I thought about it. It was pretty, and unusual, and actually related to my name. I thought that maybe I'd heard it before, some old actress's name or something, but it was still fairly unique. Plus, Riku had suggested it... that decided the matter for me.

"I like it," I announced, risking a smile at its creator. He stared back, face completely blank, and looked away. Well. Obviously he didn't mean anything by it; he was just trying to get his friends to shut up. This realization made me sad, but I'd made my choice- and I really did like the name.

Kairi smiled delightedly, and Sora summoned his Keyblade. I jerked, startled at its sudden appearance. I was even more startled when he pushed back from the table and came over to me, asking me to do the same. I complied. "Kneel," he requested.

I blinked at him and asked, "What are you doing?"

He grinned. "I'm knighting you. Sort of."

My eyebrows went up, but I didn't say anything else as I knelt obediently. He tapped me once on each shoulder with his blade and intoned solemnly, "I dub thee Liza, traveler of worlds and rescuer of thy people."

I was strangely awed for a moment. Then I shook myself. _You're kneeling on a dining room floor and your new friend hit you on the shoulders with his weird sword. You shouldn't feel like it was a sacred ceremony, doofus._ But Kairi was obviously caught up in the moment too, for she clapped wildly for my naming and glared at Riku until he did as well, albeit with much less enthusiasm.

Sora climbed to his feet and offered me a hand up. I took it, and while he was pulling me up, I glanced at Kairi- and was startled to see a faint scowl on her face as she stared fixedly at my hand in Sora's. Understanding dawned, and I dropped his hand as soon as I could without falling on my butt. I peeked in her direction discreetly to find her staring right at me, her forehead creased. I offered her an apologetic smile, trying to convey my disinterest in Sora, and it seemed to appease her. Sora and Riku, of course, were completely oblivious to the whole thing, but I stored the moment away. I was pretty sure my suspicions about Kairi's feelings for Sora had just been confirmed.

Sora settled down in his chair as I reclaimed my seat. Happy that the matter of my name was taken care of, Sora resumed his questioning. "Where are you from exactly, Liza?" He stressed the nickname, but it failed to make me smile. I drew in on myself as I evaded, "I already explained it to Kairi."

Riku was unimpressed with my dodge. "So? Now you can tell us, and we can check that the stories match up."

I glared at him, forgetting my unease at his new insult to my honesty and my home. "Fine," I gritted out. Then my anger dissipated, to be replaced with anxious sadness. "I'm from a planet called Earth. It's not exactly a world; it's much bigger than what I've seen of the worlds in the ga- I mean, here," I fumbled. "There's seven billion people who live on Earth, all over the globe."

Sora's and Kairi's jaws dropped, and Riku's eyes widened. "Seven- seven billion?" Kairi stammered. "As in seven thousand million?"

I nodded. "That's impossible!" Riku declared.

I rounded on him. "Oh yeah? Well it's true!" He snorted, clearly not believing me. "It is! Sorry if my home doesn't follow your rules! Who are you to decide what is and isn't possible, anyway? If I was making it up, don't you think I'd make up something more plausible?" By now, I was out of my chair and leaning over the table, fear (and politeness) forgotten.

Sora stood too, and quietly said, "Relax, Liza. We're not saying that you're lying about your home-" he shot a warning look at Riku, "-or trying to insult you."

At his calming words, delivered in a cautiously reasonable tone, I took a deep breath and sat back down, shamefaced. "I'm sorry, guys," I apologized. "I didn't mean to lose my temper; I'm really sorry."

Kairi smiled at me and said, "Don't worry about it. We've seen worse." She smirked at Riku, and he glowered but looked away, not challenging her.

Sora spoke cautiously, apparently having decided to move on from that touchy subject- to an even touchier one. "Tell us who we're looking for."

I bit my lip, but dutifully began to share, praying that I didn't burst into tears while doing so. "I live with my parents and my little sister Kate. We all have brown hair, but my dad's is turning gray…" My voice broke as I contemplated whether the shock of a whole new world/universe would do to the same to my mom's- if she'd survived. That, of course, made it even harder to stay in control. "I have a big extended family though: seven aunts and uncles, seventeen cousins, four grandparents, five great-aunts and uncles, a bajillion second cousins…" My voice got weaker and weaker as I realized exactly how many people I had to lose. My three new friends looked at me with sympathy (or at least Sora and Kairi did; Riku's look was inscrutable) but didn't say to stop. I thought if I had to describe any further who exactly I cared about and was now separated from (possibly permanently), I'd lose it. Then inspiration struck, and I reached into the pockets of my capris, which held all the things that had been in my sweats. I pulled out my wallet and removed the three photos very carefully, realizing that I'd probably be showing them to a lot of people. "H-here's some photos." I passed them across the table, and Kairi took them very gently, keeping her fingers on the edges as she'd seen me do. I knew she could tell how important they were to me, and I was grateful. She passed one to Sora and one to Riku. Sora was also very careful in handling the snapshot, but I was afraid of what Riku might do. He caught me watching him warily, and his lip curled in a sneer, but he too treated the picture he held as if it was delicate.

They all examined the ones in their hands for a moment; then Sora showed me that he was holding the one of my friends as he asked softly, "Who are these people?"

I choked back a sob and replied as clearly as I could, "My friends. We had a party… and they live in the same city that I do, so they're missing as well. We… we need to find them too." I had never before realized that having so many people close to your heart could be a burden; I had always believed that the more people you cared about, the better. But now, looking at all the faces of people I loved, I realized that each was an added burden of worry and fear. Their fixed stares seemed to haunt me, to ask reproachfully what I was doing to find them. I didn't know what could be done, who could be saved, and so I could not face them. My voice barely a whisper, I begged, "Please. Please put those away. I can't…" Kairi gave me a compassionate look as they quickly swapped and examined all the photos before passing them back to me. I put them in my wallet face-down, unable to bear the accusations of failure and worthlessness from anyone but myself.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Hey, everybody! I hope you enjoyed the longer chapter! And yeah, Elizabeth/Liza is having a really hard time right now. After all, she just lost everything and everyone she knew and discovered that a whole other universe exists- a universe from a video game. So yes, she's a little wonky; she's not quite suffering from PTSD, but it's close. She is very emotional and, ah, volatile right now- something that the Keybladers should keep in mind. How much do you want to bet that Riku won't? Muahaha.

I have about 1,000 words written past here, and my college apps are finally done (_**woo-hoo**__**!**_). I'm not promising anything, but updates should be quicker. I am also posting that character profiles sheet I told you about, so you can check that out if you want! I'd love to hear feedback on what you think of the worlds I've picked! It's not all of the worlds the four will be visiting, but it's all of the ones that I know for sure right now. Hope you guys enjoy! And if you wanna leave a review, you know I'm always so happy to get 'em! (Seriously. I fangirl squeal loud enough to shatter glass every time I get one.)

And also, if you have previously reviewed and I haven't replied, I am SO SORRY! I'm getting around to that really soon, I swear! I was confused for a while (I didn't know you could/were supposed to respond), and then life got super-duper-crazy. But I promise I'll get back to you! Feel free to smack me for the lateness. I think that's about it… until next time!


	13. Fight, Fight, Fight!

Heh. Heh heh heh. Don't kill me! *dodges various projectiles, ranging from rotten tomatoes to kitchen knives* Here's the good news: it's summer! And my muse has returned! So updates should be much more frequent. If any of you guys are still sticking around, I love you so much! I don't deserve you! Thank you for not abandoning me! *passes out KH cakes, cookies, and pies, all decorated with the character of your choice* This is for being so awesome! Especially the reviewers! I promise I'll get back to you! Unless you review as a guest, in which case I can't get ahold of you so I'm putting a little note at the end of the chapter to answer your questions. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Sora said quietly, "All right, guys. I think that's enough bugging Liza for today." Despite myself, I felt a flash of cynical amusement; he said that as if it hadn't been all his idea. I could feel eyes on me, and I glanced up, expecting to see Kairi rapidly cover the worried look she was shooting me- but instead it was Riku who looked away. What did that mean? Probably that he'd been taking the opportunity to make faces at me behind my back. I sighed, then turned it into deep breaths as I straightened in my seat, trying to banish the stinging feeling behind my eyes.

Kairi asked me softly, her voice worried, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I could tell that she didn't believe me, but wasn't comfortable pushing further since she didn't know me very well.

Riku cleared his throat pointedly. "Now what, guys?" he asked.

Sora shrugged. "I guess we should take a look around, see if we can find any trouble."

Kairi's shoulders slumped, and I guessed she was thinking the same thing as me. _Why do guys always have to leap into the thick of things without thinking it through? So impulsive._ However, in this situation that might be the best move. After all, what else could we do? So she murmured her assent as Riku nodded, and we all pushed our chairs back as we stood from the table. Kairi led the way out of the dining room, Sora and Riku close behind, and I fell into step behind Riku… but only for a moment. He whirled and asked me in a low but angry voice, his eyes narrowed almost to slits, "Where do you think you're going?"

I was surprised. "With you guys." I did my best not to add 'duh' at the end of the sentence.

He hissed, "No you are not!" I saw Sora and Kairi turn around and halt, listening to our argument.

I glared right back at him. "What am I supposed to do?"

Riku's eyebrows rose. "Sleep, eat, hang in your room- why would I care? But you are not coming with us!"

I glanced momentarily at Sora and Kairi, who seemed to be undecided on whether to intervene. They stayed quiet for now, and I thought to myself, _Fine. I can handle this._ I reasonably responded to Riku in a not-very-reasonable tone, "Why not?"

He looked furious. "Because this isn't your fight! You came to ask about people from your world, fine! Whatever! I lost that one! But now you've asked and gotten your answer, so you're done! Your job's over until the next world! I forbid you to come with us."

My jaw dropped, and I swiftly shut it, my teeth grinding together as I gritted, "You forbid it? You can't tell me what to do!" I fought hard not to say the childish 'you're not the boss of me.'

Riku opened his mouth, clearly prepared to retort, but at this point Kairi swooped in. "Would you both just stop?!" she asked (read: demanded). I blinked at her, as did Riku, and then looked down, feeling ashamed.

I muttered, "Sorry," at almost the precise moment that he did. With a monumental effort of will, I kept my jaw from dropping again, but I was stunned- I hadn't thought Riku knew what that word meant.

Kairi shook her head, then sighed, but the sound was more resigned than truly upset. Her mouth pulled up at the corner into a small smile as she told us, "It's okay. Now, is there any chance we can discuss this rationally?"

Riku snorted, but Sora replied, his own smile clearly heard in his voice, "I think that sounds like a great idea."

I looked up from studying the floor to see that the others had moved so that we were now standing in a rough circle. I was reminded of team huddles at home, and it made me smile just a little before I sighed, shoving all thoughts of home as far away as I could. Sora spoke again, and I did my best to focus on his words. "Okay, so Liza wants to come with us, and Riku doesn't want her to. Why do you want to help, Liza?"

"Because I can. Isn't that enough? If I can help you guys with this- this quest, then I should. Besides," my voice faltered, "you guys are protecting people. I wasn't able to protect people when it happened at my home. I couldn't save them. Please, let me have the chance to help save these people." I swallowed and looked at the floor, not wanting to see pity on my new friends' faces.

There was a long moment of silence before Kairi spoke, her voice soft. "That seems fair. Riku, what's your problem with her helping?"

I raised my head, unable to help myself. I wanted to see as well as hear his reply. He was glaring at nothing in particular when he spoke. "She doesn't have a Keyblade."

"That's why we bought her a sword," Sora reminded him.

His fists clenched. "I thought that was so she would be prepared if she was still asking around when the Heartless attack, not so that she could follow us around and get in our way!"

My hands balled into fists as well. "Who says I'll be in the way? Maybe I can help, you arrogant twit! Or are you too proud to accept a girl's help?" I chose to ignore the fact that Kairi was accompanying them, since- if I remembered right- she never had before. I rather suspected she had had to do some fast talking to come this time.

He glowered at me. "Of course not. I just don't think you'll be able to do anything useful."

Those sounded like fighting words to me. Without thinking about it, I shifted into a back stance, lifting my clenched fists into the ready position. Sora stepped in front of Riku, whose hand was twitching like he was dying to summon his Keyblade, and shouted, "Would you both please calm down?" I reluctantly eased out of my tae kwon do attack-mindset and stood normally. He eyed me in weariness and irritation. "Liza, I know that you're hurting and frustrated, but you have to stop trying to take that out on us. I really don't want to spend our trip keeping you and Riku from going at each other's throats, so cool it or find somebody else to travel with." I swallowed hard and looked away, realizing the truth of his words. He was right, and if it was harsh- well, I deserved it.

Then he turned on Riku. "And you! Stop provoking her. I don't know what your problem is, but you need to fix it, and fast. It takes two to argue." Riku's eyes closed momentarily, like he was using the time to get himself under control, and when he opened them again his face was expressionless. He nodded once curtly, but I wasn't fooled; I was pretty sure that it was frustration and hurt that I saw buried deep in his eyes. Sora must have picked up on it too, because his voice softened and he gazed pleadingly at his mask-wearing best friend. "So, can she come?"

I jerked in surprise at this. After that blow-up, I hadn't thought that he would want me to come at all. Kairi, who was watching all three of us with silent worry, shot me a small half-smile. Riku, however, looked like he would never smile again. His mouth tightened and his eyes narrowed, clear indication that that was the last thing he wanted, but he didn't say anything aloud. Sora waited a moment, then chose to take his best friend's disapproving silence as agreement.

Back to his usual cheerful self just like that, Sora beamed and remarked enthusiastically, "Great! Now, where do we want to go?"

Kairi rolled her eyes, but the motion was obviously fond. "Silly, how would we know? You're the only one who's been here before, remember?"

Sora coughed sheepishly. "Right, right." Riku's lips twitched slightly at this, and I thought I saw the corner of his mouth turn upwards just a bit. So he wasn't angry with Sora- just me. Yippee.

He prompted Sora, "Where do you think we should look first?"

Sora's uncertainty was endearingly easy to see on his face. "Uh..." I fought not to smile, knowing someone (aka Riku) would take it the wrong way. Then his face brightened. "Oh! Last time I was here, Maleficent showed up at the cornerstone of Light. We could check it out and see if that's where the Heartless will be coming through. Whatcha think?"

Kairi smiled and said cheerily, "Sounds good." Riku nodded; I did nothing, sure they wouldn't want my opinion. However, Sora pointedly looked at me and asked directly, "How about you?" Riku scowled but said nothing. I eyed Sora, realizing that this was his way of showing everyone that he fully considered me part of the group. I was honestly taken aback that he would accept me so quickly, but the thought that I might not truly be alone was a powerful one. So I grinned at Sora, saying, "That sounds fine," even as I tried to express my silent gratitude with my gaze.

"Great!" he chirped and rubbed his hands together briskly. "Let's get going."

A brief flash of amusement crossed Riku's face as he gestured for Sora to lead, saying in a slightly teasing tone, "Lead the way."

Sora faltered. "Um... well..."

Kairi frowned at Riku, who replied with an innocent look. An innocent look that consisted of a slight pout and angelically widened blue-green eyes, the sight enough to take my breath away... I shook it off and scolded myself silently. Kairi turned to Sora, saying gently, "Do you remember where it was?"

He looked down and rubbed the back of his neck with one fingerless-gloved hand, but then exclaimed, "Wait! Yeah, I do! It was in this secret room under the throne room, but Queen Minnie had to open the door for me." Sora paused, then decided, "But… since she didn't mention it, maybe she thinks that won't be a problem this time? So I guess we shouldn't worry about it, then."

Kairi smiled at him and said, "Why don't we just wander a little? If she didn't want us to check the cornerstone thingy, we can explore the castle instead."

He beamed at her. "Sounds like a plan. Let's go, guys!" Sora raised one fist in the air like he was leading a charge into battle. I smiled, and fell into step behind him and Kairi. Riku, always paranoid, brought up the rear as we headed off, doubtless so he could watch me for suspicious behavior.

At first I was excited to be accompanying them, part of the group and ready to protect the innocent from the Heartless. But after about an hour of trudging up and down maze-like hallways and inspecting fancy rooms that all looked the same, my enthusiasm began to wane. However, I was not about to say anything and give Riku the chance to point out that I could quit, so I set my jaw and kept moving. Kairi apparently was also feeling the boredom, for moments after I started counting the paintings on the walls, she complained, "Does it usually take this long?"

Sora glanced back at her, his face unusually serious. "Well, it's different every time. Depends on how many Heartless are coming through and how much of the world we have to explore. We just do what we have to in order to keep everyone safe. If that means we spend days looking around, so be it."

Kairi nodded, clearly regretting her whining. She murmured a quiet apology, and Sora shot her a grin. "No worries. This part's definitely boring."

I glanced back to see what Riku thought of this. As I suspected, he showed no signs of irritation at her question, whereas I was sure that he would yelled at me if I had dared to ask. Sure enough, as he caught me looking at him, his face darkened in a scowl and he hissed, "Watch the front. If you're going to come with us," he grimaced, "you need to pay attention."

I gritted my teeth and chose not to reply, turning back around and obediently facing forward. Sora and Kairi had struck up a conversation of sorts to help with the boredom; Sora was reminiscing about the time he, Donald, and Goofy had traveled to Agrabah and been forced to explore the whole desert, albeit on magic carpet, and Kairi was listening raptly, obviously enjoying hearing about Sora's previous adventures. Then Riku spoke up.

"Sora?"

He broke off in mid-sentence and looked back at Riku. "Yeah?"

"Focus."

Sora attempted to frown at him but nodded, acknowledging his point. He whispered to Kairi, "Tell you later," and we continued on our trek in not-so-vigilant silence.

To entertain myself, I started to keep track of the rooms we checked. Parlor, bedroom, study, receiving room, bedroom, bathroom, ballroom- it was all the same. We'd push open the door, briefly scout for signs of Heartless or Dark activity, and, finding nothing, continue on our way. Finally, the monotony was broken. The next door we came to creaked open ominously. The room behind it was dimly lit, but even in the low light it was easy to see that we had stepped into a large library. It looked abandoned, the books on the shelves nearest us all covered in a thick layer of dust. I grabbed one at random, and the dust cloud it sent up as I cracked it open made me sneeze. Riku glared. "Put that back."

I made a face at him but did as he asked, sliding it back into place. It stood out clearly from those around it due to its now somewhat-clean cover. Sora and Kairi, meanwhile, had ventured forwards several yards and were peeking past the end of the row of bookshelves we stood in. Kairi's voice floated back to us. "Um, guys? You might want to see this."

Riku and I headed their way and looked out ourselves. "Holy crap," I breathed. Had I called the library large? Scratch that, this place was enormous. The room stretched on almost as far as the throne room had, but unlike the throne room's open floor and bright lighting, the room was filled with dozens of bookcases that obscured our view, the sputtering lamps set far apart on the walls failing to penetrate the inky shadows that loomed in the corners and covered the stone floor.

Sora muttered, "This is going to take forever to search."

I moaned. "Do we really have-" Riku's glare silenced me, the answer clear. Kairi sighed.

"What are we gonna do, guys?" she appealed.

Riku answered, "Split up. Otherwise we'll be here all day."

Sora agreed. "All right. Liza, you take the far left side. I'll take the middle left. Kairi, middle right. And Riku, you good with far right?"

Riku shook his head. "I'll swap with you." My lips thinned; he wanted to put himself between me and his friends. He probably thought that I'd take advantage of the bad lighting and confusing maze of shelves to sneak up and attack them. Sora, however, either didn't figure that out or didn't care.

"Fine. Let's go, guys. Once we're done, we'll meet back here. Don't get lost."

Riku smirked at that statement coming from Sora. "That goes for you too."

Sora stuck his tongue out at him. "Yeah, yeah. Let's just hurry up." And with that, we all headed off for our assigned sections.

Although we hadn't found anything remotely interesting or dangerous so far, I couldn't help but feel nervous as I treaded the aisles, my footsteps loud on the stone floor. The dimness made everything so much creepier! I started with the row closest to the wall, figuring I'd work my way towards the middle and the others. Thankfully, although the rows were ridiculously long, there were only five or six I had to cover.

I started cautiously down the first, inspecting my surroundings as closely as I could in the low light even while I hoped that there was nothing to find. The area between my shoulder blades tingled, but I saw nothing, so I started up the next row. The bookcases towered above me, the highest shelves about seven feet in the air, so I was blind to anything happening in the other rows. Again, I checked each bookcase and peered in the shadows but found nothing. Still, I felt like I was being watched. The sense of unfriendly eyes observing my every move made me shiver, but I brushed it off as my imagination and moved to the third row. Once more, I found nothing. Then, as I rounded the corner of the fourth row, I thought I saw something shift in my peripheral vision.

I snapped my head around, but everything was still, and there was no sign of anything out of the ordinary. Still, my mind conjured up images of brutal Heartless lurking in every darkened corner and each shadow, just waiting for their chance to catch me unawares and take my heart. I shook myself (stop letting it get to you), hunched my shoulders and hurried onwards. I'd made it about halfway up the aisle, heading the way we'd come in, when I was almost positive that I heard a soft whooshing noise.

The back of my neck prickled, and I spun around. Was something moving in the shadows? Were the shadows themselves moving? I couldn't tell, but my sense of unease grew even stronger. I opened my mouth to speak up, ask the other three if they saw anything, when figures erupted out of the shadows and leapt towards me. Even before I could wonder if they were appearing everywhere, Sora shouted, his voice barely audible, "They're here!"

Riku's speech was much louder and clearer. He responded sarcastically, "No, really?" But I didn't have the chance to say anything; my throat had closed up. Why oh why had we spread out to search? There wasn't much time to curse our carelessness, though, for the Heartless were here- and they weren't exactly willing to wait for me to think things through.

Several dozen had popped up out of nowhere, oozing through the floor and walls. A few knocked books off the shelves as they materialized. Although most of them left the vicinity, presumably headed straight for the Keyblade wielders, half a dozen hurtled towards me, blocking the end of the aisle and my chance at escape.

Kairi screamed, "What do we do?"

Sora yelled back faintly, "Try to head for the door! We'll team up there!"

_Head for the door that now has six vicious Heartless between me and it? Awesome. _I fumbled desperately for the hilt of my sword, yanking it from the scabbard frantically. It trembled in my hand, the weight unfamiliar, and I realized that I had no idea what I was doing. _Shit!_ I contemplated losing the sword and falling back on my tae kwon do, but the Heartless rapidly approaching were not the shadowy monsters with stubby arms that I'd fought in Traverse Town. These had long, grasping arms with hands tipped in six-inch long, razor-sharp claws. Going hand-to-hand here would be a very bad idea.

Then they were upon me, and I had no more time to think. I swung my sword wildly, hoping for the best, and was pleasantly surprised when it sliced through the torso of one of my attackers. Admittedly this was probably due to the limited space for dodging, but still. The beast opened its mouth in a silent howl, then vanished, and I felt a surge of triumph. Unfortunately, this killing seemed to anger the others, and they swarmed me as one, seeming to completely fill the aisle with their wrath.

_Shit shit shit!_ The palms of my hands grew slick with sweat as I took out two more (and a shelf, but that wasn't important). _Three down, three to go._ But as I decapitated the fourth, I lost my grip on my sword. It slipped in my hand, and I instinctively grabbed at it as it fell. My hand tightened around the blade, and it sliced open my palm (as could only be expected).

I let go instantly, my sword clattering to the floor and skittering under a bookcase out of easy reach, but the damage was done. Blood welled from the approximately four-inch long cut, accompanied by a whole lot of pain. I gasped. Then one of the two remaining Heartless lunged low and swiped at my leg, and I realized that the cut in my hand was nothing on my new pain scale.

Its claws cut deep into the back of my thigh, viciously slicing almost to the bone and nearly severing my hamstring. I cried out and staggered backwards, doing my best not to fall down, where they would finish me off even more easily. I knew I needed to stop the bleeding, but I also had to protect myself or I wouldn't get the chance to bleed to death. I tried to shift into the forward position, but the strain it put on my leg made it impossible, and my head swam with the pain. I blinked away stars and did my best not to start puking my guts out, desperately trying to focus on the situation.

My opponents were fierce, mindless creatures who knew no mercy and wanted to rip my heart from my chest, turning me into one of them. Meanwhile, I only had one good arm and leg to defend myself, and I couldn't even move into position. This didn't look good. Why couldn't I have listened to Riku and stayed behind?

* * *

Before you try to hurt me, I chose to leave it here because it means that I have about half the next chapter written, so I should have it up before… say, the 23rd, because that's when I leave for a week-and-a-half-long family reunion thing, during which there will be no updates. I'm not so mean that I'll leave you with this until July, I promise! So keep an eye out; next chap should be up in the next 2 weeks!

Now, for guest review questions! First off, if you want me to reply in detail to anything you say, please either log in or leave me your email address! I'm just putting a really short reply here, and that's because there was a few good questions.

No, I don't plan on putting anything from 3D in here, or at least not currently. I actually haven't played it, because I think that if I do it will warp my plans for this story, and you have no idea how much it's killing me to not play it! So I'll probably cave soon, and then maybe reconsider what exactly I'm doing here. But at least for now this story is only canon through Kingdom Hearts 2.

Thanks so much for reviewing! It always brightens my day and motivates me! I love y'all!


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